Benguet wants toll on roads abolished

TUBLAY, Benguet – The provincial board wants the national government to abolish toll collection for use of Kennon Road and Halsema Highway, describing the fees as burdensome to motorists.

In seeking the abolition of the toll, the provincial legislative body cited Visayas and Mindanao which do not practice toll collection.

Presidential Decree 1884, issued by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos on Sept. 22, 1976, mandates the collection of a toll on Kennon and Halsema roads.

However, members of the board are strongly for the scrapping of the toll, saying they do not even know where the funds collected actually go.

They also cited the sentiments of motorists plying both national roads that paying the toll takes away a lot from their daily income.

They said the funds collected at the tollgates established on both roads are being directly remitted to the national treasury, thus, no available funds could be immediately utilized for the maintenance of the two major roads linking the Cordillera region to the lowlands.

Contrary to the provisions of the Presidential Decree, local legislators pointed out the collected funds do not even accrue for the maintenance of the two roads, especially during emergencies.

Despite the urgency of funds that must be utilized for the rehabilitation of Kennon road and Halsema Highway in order to keep them open, local officials claimed the generated funds could not even be immediately utilized for the purpose since it is being remitted to the national treasury.

The Board cited need for immediate repair and maintenance of the two roads to keep them open, safe and convenient to the motoring public and in order not to paralyze traffic of commuters and basic commodities.

Kennon Road, which is dubbed Zigzag Road, is the shortest route from Baguio City to Manila, while Halsema Highway which is also known as the Baguio-Bontoc-Banaue Road interconnects Baguio City, Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao.

The Board wants Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan, chairman of the House Committee on Public Works, to conduct an investigation on where the collected toll had been utilized.

Based on data obtained from the Cordillera office of the DPWH, Kennon Road has a total length of over 34 km while Halsema Highway extends to nearly 180 km.