Malacañang may ask Congress money for SLEX rehab

Malacañang may ask Congress for additional funds to pay the Malaysian firm that rehabilitated the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and lessen the financial burden on the public that may have to pay higher toll rates, President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III said Wednesday. In a press briefing, Aquino said one of Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima's recommendations on the SLEX quandary was to ask Congress for appropriations of a still undetermined amount for MTD Capital Berhad, which financed the SLEX rehabilitation. MTD Capital Berhad owns 80 percent of the SLEX operator South Luzon Tollways Corp. (SLTC). The Supreme Court temporarily halted on Friday the August 16 implementation of a 250 percent increase in SLEX toll rates, leaving the government to look for other ways to ensure obligations to the Malaysian firm will be honored. "One of the proposals is we go back to Congress, we ask for authority which is an appropriation that will pay for a portion of what is due to the Malaysians, thereby lessening the load that they will have to pass on to our countrymen and to the people utilizing SLEX," the President said. Aquino said the government could not directly use funds of the Philippine National Construction Corp., which owns 20 percent of SLTC. "The money due PNCC goes to the national coffers. Once there you need an act of Congress to appropriate it," he said. SLTC earlier said it needed to adjust the current rates – set in 1984 – so it could recoup the P12 billion it spent to rehabilitate the expressway. Popular opposition to the 250-percent increase forced the government to reset the implementation of the increase to August 16. But the Supreme Court last week issued a temporary restraining order against it in response to the petitions of Albay Gov. Joey Salceda and lawyer Ernesto Francisco. The Finance department and the Bureau of Internal Revenue were given 10 days from the issuance of the TRO to respond to the petitions. —VS, GMANews.TV