Toll Regulatory Board Spokesman Julius Corpuz on Monday said the government led by new Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) Secretary Jose de Jesus, chairman of the TRB, and the Malaysian investors in the South Luzon Tollway Corp. (SLTC) which operates the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) agreed to further defer the new toll rates “until all outstanding issues are resolved.”

No date has been set for the new implementation of the 250 percent toll hike.

Corpuz said the Malaysian investors “voluntarily” deferred the implementation of the toll hike during a dialogue with De Jesus Monday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, De Jesus said only the Supreme Court can stop the SLEx toll hike through a temporary restraining order (TRO), saying that scrapping it would send a bad signal to foreign investors.

DoTC Undersecretary for Road Transport Anneli Lontoc said the postponement would give time to the SLTC to do an intensive information campaign on why the increase is being done – a move recommended by De Jesus.

The SLEx toll hike was originally set for implementation last June 30 but SLTC deferred it to July 7 as a gesture of support to President Benigno Aquino III who took his oath on that date.

Meanwhile, the 10-percent toll hike at the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) Tollway in Batangas which will be implemented July 10 would still push through, Corpuz said.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda had earlier filed a petition for a TRO against the toll increase before the High Tribunal, which he said, is detrimental to public interest and lacks public consultations.

On Monday, lawyer Ernesto Francisco Jr. asked the SC to immediately issue a TRO against the implementation of the new toll rates at SLEx.

Named respondents in the petition were the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), South Luzon Tollway Corp. (SLTC), and Manila Toll Expressways Systems, Inc.