TPLEX system ‘defective, non-compliant’ - expert

By Nelson Bolos

TARLAC CITY – A known expressway toll collection system (TCS) expert disclosed here last week “widespread defects and non-compliant TCS” installed by a contractor at the partially completed Tarlac-La Union-Pangasinan Expressway (TPLEX).

Gregorio De Guzman, considered as the top TCS specialist in the country, revealed, “as they are, no one knows how many vehicles enter and leave the (TPLEX) tollgates and how much is actually collected in toll fees at any given time. The system is manual not automated TCS, and the CCTV cameras are not working” 

“The defects could be a source of corruption. Because of non-interconnectivity and manual (toll) collection, it is possible that the PIDC and the government are being shortchanged by hundreds of thousands (in toll fees) everyday. And this (problem) can be traced to Arturo Barrameda”, said De Guzman.

De Guzman’s revelation came as he filed a case of Estafa before the Tarlac Prosecutors Office against  Barrameda, Project Manager of the TCGI Engineers consultant group supervising the TPLEX construction.

The 88.8-kilometer TPLEX costing P21 Billion is one among the big-ticket Private-Public-Partnership launched by the Aquino Administration and its construction is being undertaken jointly by the Department of Public Works and Highways, Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) and Private Infrastructure Development Corporation (PIDC), owner of the TPLEX, under the Built-Transfer-Operate (BTO) scheme.

(As a BTO project, before the owner is allowed to operate, the government must first accept the project as completed in accordance to the design and all its component packages pass the SAT. Consultants are hired to ensure the component packages are compliant to the specification and plan.)

The TPLEX portion from Tarlac City to Urdaneta City, Pangasinan, is already operational which cut down travel time from Manila to Ilocos and Baguio City by around 3 hours. The superhighway project will be completed up to Rosario, La Union.

Being the TCS consultant De Guzman, oversees the construction and installation of the more than P300 Million toll collection facilities of the TPLEX.

De Guzman said, “in several instances Barrameda harassed me and was pressuring me to withdraw the ‘non-compliance certificate’ (NCC) I issued to the contractor of the (TPLEX) toll facilities and toll collection system.

“Ang gusto ni Barrameda i-approved ko as compliant ang ginawa ng contractor, But as a whole,  hindi naman nagcomply sa mga specification ang mga toll facilities at ang TCS na ginawa”, said De Guzman.

According to De Guzman, the installed “TCS are defective (because they are) not interconnected and did not pass the Site Acceptance Tests (SAT) conducted jointly with the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) and the DPWH”.

“Maraming kalokohan ang ginawa. Noong opening ng (TPLEX) package 1-B (Gerona to Anao, Tarlac), kinuha nila ang isang TCS machine sa Victoria toll gate at 2 sa Tarlac City toll Plaza at ‘yun ang inilagay sa Anao exit. And based on technical evaluation, all of the TCS machines installed are non-compliant o hindi pasado. Ang buong TCS ay hindi compliant. ’ Yan ang isang malaking anomalya na tinatakpan ni Barrameda”, revealed De Guzman.

“Barrameda forced me to resign because of my refusal to withdraw the certificate of non-compliance. But under the TPLEX-BTO contract, a consultant can only be replaced by another consultant who is with ‘equal or better’ qualification”, added De Guzman who has served as consultant in almost all the expressway projects in the country including the LRT and MRT projects.

“Ang pinakamasamang nangyayari, kahit wala na ako sa TPLEX project ginagamit pa rin ni Barrameda ang pangalan ko sa mga plano na sina-submit niya sa DPWH at TRB”, lamented De Guzman.

However, De Guzman requested the name of the TCS contractor be withheld in the meantime but said it has already collected around 80% of the TCS contract price despite his issuance of NOCs.

“Barrameda must be investigated for allowing defective and non-compliant components of the TPLEX”, also said De Guzman.

TPLEX owner PIDC is a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation.