BAGUIO CITY – At least 306 trucks weighing 2 tons to 20 tons have been issued permits giving them toll-free access to various expressways in northern Luzon.
Janice Agrifino of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Service (RAFIS) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) – Cordillera said these vegetable trucks have registered in the “food lane” during their special registration that began on April 19.
“The registration is continuing. This is an order from the President (Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.) to help reduce the cost of transportation and prevent such from being added to the cost of vegetables sold to the public,” she said in an interview.
Tollways that provided free passage to trucks carrying agricultural products include the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), Subic-Clark-Tarlac (SCTEX), and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). The initiative will run for one month.
Truckers can save PHP1,000 to PHP3,000 in toll fees for every trip they make coming from the trading post in La Trinidad, Benguet to Metro Manila.
The waived toll fees for the truckers transporting vegetables to Metro Manila and other regions came after Marcos visited the vegetable trading facilities in Benguet on April 17, to check on the situation of farmers and traders and bring solutions to their problems caused by rising fuel costs.
DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. earlier held a dialogue with vegetable industry stakeholders in the Cordillera to know their situation and find possible solutions to the high cost of transporting produce.
Agrifino also said the toll fee assistance is not exclusive to vegetable stakeholders but also to truckers carrying fish, livestock, and other agricultural produce and supplies for food production.
The DA earlier said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will extend assistance to conductors and drivers, through its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD).
The agency will also roll out fuel assistance for farmers. **Liza Agoot
