PH tollways
THE people ought to discuss all the pros and cons of a proposal allowing foreign fully-owned companies to control and operate toll expressways in the Philippines.
Pending consideration in the 24-member Senate, the proposed measure seeks to amend Commonwealth Act No. 146, otherwise known as the Public Service Act.
Note that even Senator Francis “Tol” N. Tolentino has expressed doubts over the proposal.
Tolentino said tollways are the blood veins of the domestic economy, “encompassing our way of life and facilitating the mobility of people, goods and services.”
He underscored the importance of tollways, especially during natural disasters and public emergencies, such as the coronavirus disease (COVID 2019) pandemic.
Any major blockage or shutting down of tollways would effectively derail the economy and paralyze the government’s disaster and emergency response efforts.
“We are tiptoeing into some national security land mines, so to speak,” according to the soft-spoken but highly-articulate member of the Upper House of Congress.
Like other Filipinos, we share the view of Tolentino that the construction and operation of expressways under the “Build, Build, Build” program should remain in the hands of companies, which are majority owned by Filipinos.
