TRB okays 30-days free toll in Cavitex!

Good news to all travelers passing thru Cavitex!

ACTING with dispatch on the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has approved the suspension of toll fees on all types of vehicles using the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (Cavitex) to get to their destination covering the entire month of July.

Atty. Alex Lopez, chair of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), said the suspension would become effective on Monday, July 1.

It can be recalled that it was Lopez who recommended the suspension of the toll fees to Pres. Marcos Jr., after consultation with the Cavitex Infrastructure Corporation (CIC), the private sector partner of the PRA in the operation of Cavitex (related story here).

The CIC agreeing to the suspension demonstrated the diplomatic skill of Lopez as the PRA, thru its subsidiary, the Public Estate Authority Tollways Corporation (PEATC), has an ongoing legal dispute with the CIC over revenue sharing and operation of Cavitex.

The CIC, for its part, is another subsidiary of the Metro Pacific Tollway Corporation (MPTC), one of the businesses under the Manuel V. Pangilinan Group of Companies (MVP Group).

“Nagpapasalamat tayo sa TRB sa kanilang agarang aksyon sa rekomendasyon na ito ng PRA. Nagpapasalamat din tayo sa MVP Group sa pagsuporta sa panukalang ito,” the President said in his official social media page.

The TRB is composed of the officials from the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Finance (DOF), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and representatives from the private sector.

Moving forward, Lopez said more benefits, in the form of reduced toll fees, await those passing thru Cavitex as soon as the government wins its legal cases against CIC.