Gov’t losing big on defective TPLEx toll system – expert

By Mar T. Supad

TARLAC CITY, Tarlac — Opening a can of worms, a toll collection system (TCS) specialist divulged here recently “widespread defects and non-compliant TCS” allegedly installed at the under-construction Tarlac-La Union-Pangasinan Expressway (TPLEx), resulting in big income losses on the part of government.

Gregorio de Guzman, one of only two TCS specialist in the country said: “As they are, no one knows how many vehicles enter and leave the tollgates (of the TPLEx) and how much is actually collected in fees at any given time. The system is manual not automated TCS, and the CCTV cameras are not working.”

As such, these defects could be a source of corruption, said De Guzman.

“Because of non-interconnectivity and manual collection, it is possible that the PIDC (Philippine Infrastructure Development Corporation) and the government are being shortchanged by hundreds of thousands (in toll) everyday,” he said.

De Guzman is the TCS specialist who had filed a case of estafa before the Tarlac Prosecutor’s Office against Arturo Barrameda, project manager of the TCGI Engineers consultant group supervising the TPLEX construction.

He was hired as a consultant with the TCGI as per contract of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and PIDC, which owns the TPLEX.

Formerly among the TCGI Engineers in-charge of overseeing the construction of the TPLEx multi-million toll collection facilities, De Guzman parted with TCGI when he issued “non-compliance certificates” to the contractor of the 80-kilometer superhighway’s TCS.

“Ang gusto ni Barramedai-approve ko as compliant angginawang contractor, but as a whole,  hindi naman nagcomply sa mga specification ang mga toll facilities at ang TCS na ginawa (Barrameda wanted me to approve the contractor’s work as compliant even if as a whole it did not comply with the specifications of toll facilities and the TCS),” said De Guzman.

This correspondent tried several times to get the side of Barrameda, through phone calls and text messages, but to no avail.