Transport groups criticized Thursday the impending 250 percent increase in the toll rates at the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) on June 30 which they said is intended to put President-elect Aquino in an embarassing situation on the day of his inauguration as the 15th President of the Republic.

Militant transport groups Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) theorized that the implementation of the toll hike by the current administration is meant to dampen the celebratory mood during the inauguration of the new President who has been critical of the current administration.

Aquino himself had planned a street party in the evening of June 30 for Filipinos to celebrate his victory.

“We believe that implementation of the toll hike on June 30 was deliberately done to insult President-elect Aquino on his inauguration. It was intended to put Aquino in an embarassing situation on his first day of office,” George San Mateo, PISTON Secretary General, said in a phone interview.

Even in her last day of office President Arroyo is consistent in burdening Filipinos with expensive costs of services and prime commodities.

For motorists, this comes in the form of expensive toll rates and high fuel prices,” San Mateo said. He also noted that some jeep drivers are also affected by the toll hike at the SLEx particularly those serving the Pacita (Laguna)-Alabang (Muntinlupa) and Pacita-Sucat (Parañaque) routes.

San Mateo pointed out that toll rates at the expressway where some 200,000 motorists pass daily could result to not just fare increases but also trigger increases in prices of goods.

Engr. Homer Mercado, President of both the Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines (PBOAP) and the Southern Luzon Bus Operators Association (SOLUBOA), agreed that the implementation of the SLEx toll hike has “wrong timing.”

“Wrong timing because I believe Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) officials are co-terminus with President Arroyo.

I wonder why they are implementing a toll adjustment on their last day of office?” Mercado said.

TRB Spokesperson Julius Corpuz earlier said that “the Board may have opted to perform their functions and responsibilities than pass this sensitive decision to the next administration,” when asked why the toll hike's implementation coincided with the inauguration of Aquino.

The transport leaders hoped Aquino would review the TRB's ruling on the SLEx toll hike.

“We will be writing a letter to incoming President Aquino to halt the unjust increase of the SLEx toll when he assumes the presidency. This is unjust because it was granted by the TRB public consultation. We really hope President Aquino will review the TRB's procedure of approving toll hike petitions without public consultation,” San Mateo said.

“I hope President-elect Aquino makes good on his promise of transparency in his administration because as much as we would like to present an intelligent opposition against the toll hike, we are prevented from doing so because the TRB had refused to furnish us with documents on how the SLEx operator – South Luzon Tollway Corp. (SLTC) – had arrived at the computation of the toll hike,” Mercado said.