No toll hike would happen at least until July 7.

The South Luzon Tollway Corp. (SLTC), the new operator of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx), bared this on Monday after it decided to voluntarily defer the implementation of the 250 percent increase in its toll rates from June 30 to July 7.

As this developed, a slew of big and small oil companies implemented price hikes worth P1 a liter on their pump products Tuesday morning.

SLTC spokesperson Alma Tuazon, in a press conference in Makati City, said the move is meant “to give due respect and as gesture of support to the President-elect Benigno Simeon Aquino III” who will be take his oath as the 15th President of the Republic on June 30, the original target date of the implementation of the toll hike.

Critics had said that implementing the 250 percent toll hike on SLEx would be a “rude welcome” for Aquino.

The operator of the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) Tollway in Batangas, the Star Infrastructure Development Corp. (SIDC) also earlier deferred the implementation of their own 10 percent toll hike to July 10, from June 30, citing the same reason.

The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), the agency tasked to regulate tollways in the country, yesterday said that there is no cause for alarm yet on the supposed imposition of the 12-percent Value-Added Tax (VAT) on toll rates which is being pushed by Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Joel Tan-Torres. This would cover all tollways in the country.

“The board has not given its final decision and until then, we cannot give a comment on the matter,” TRB Spokesman Julius Corpuz said.

The TRB is composed of representatives from Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC); National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA); Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); Department of Finance; and the private sector.

What could be more immediate concern for motorists from South Luzon is another looming adjustment for toll rates at SLEx once its interconnection with STAR Tollway is completed by July.

The 250 percent hike on July 7 only covers the Alabang (Muntinlupa)-Calamba (Laguna) stretch of the newly rehabilitated tollway which is the gateway to Southern Luzon provinces.

Acting DoTC Secretary and TRB Chairperson Anneli Lontoc admitted that SLEx toll rates would have to be adjusted anew once the tollway’s interconnection with the STAR Tollway become operational in July.

“New toll will be collected once approved and operational from Calamba to STAR link,” Lontoc told Manila Bulletin.

“It depends on the certificate from independent consultant. Pero baka abutin ng July,” Lontoc said when asked when the SLEx-STAR Tollway link would be operational.

An eight-kilometer link is being built by SLTC that would connect the 42-kilometer STAR Tollway which spans from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Balagtas, Batangas City to the 97-kilometer SLEx.

The series of toll hikes had triggered protests from public transport groups claiming that the toll adjustments would trigger fare hikes as well as increases in prices of prime commodities since about 200,000 motorists pass through the tollway daily, including those carrying goods from Southern Luzon provinces.

Oil hike
Meanwhile, in a text advisory, Eastern Petroleum President Ferdinand Martinez said that the company would raise their retail prices effective 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

“We regret that due to the surging price of oil in the world market, we have advised our dealers to reflect a P1 per liter hike on all petroleum products – gasoline, diesel and kerosene,” the advisory read.

Increasing pump prices by the same increments, also at past midnight, was major oil player Pilipinas Shell.

Another small oil firm, Phoenix Petroleum, also jacked up product prices by a peso per liter, but only tweaked prices of gasoline and diesel. The adjustment of the company, which is a relatively new player in Metro Manila but has vast operations in Davao and the rest of Mindanao, took place at 6 a.m.

Following suit at around the same time was oil giant Chevron Philippines (formerly Caltex) and Total Philippines.

Domestic fuel prices have actually yo-yoed the past few weeks. Last June 14, big and small oil companies initiated a price rollback worth P0.50 a liter on gasoline and P0.25 a liter on diesel.

On June 8, the same companies added a peso to every liter of their fuel products. No price adjustments were made during the first week of June, it was recalled.

Meanwhile, the month of May saw five consecutive price cuts on the part of the oil companies, resulting to an accumulated reduction of almost P4 a liter on pump. But fuel prices did go up once last month – a hike of P1 a liter was imposed on May 5.

Following Tuesday’s increase, the average price of fuel in Metro Manila are now as follows: P43 a liter for gasoline (unleaded); P34 a liter for diesel, and P43 a liter for kerosene.

In response to the price hikes, the Pinagka-Isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) held successive demonstrations yesterday in front of the major oil firms’ offices in Makati City.

The picketers denounced the so-called “cartel” that has allegedly been controlling prices in the oil industry, as well as called for the scrapping of the persisting Oil Deregulation Law.