SC asked to retain TRO on toll rate hike

A lawyer on Monday asked the Supreme Court to maintain the suspension of higher tollway rates at the South Luzon Expressway. In a 22-page urgent omnibus motion, Ernesto Francisco said the court should deny the petitions of South Luzon Tollway Corporation (SLTC), MTD Manila Expressways Inc. (MTDME), and Manila Toll Expressway Systems Inc. (MATES) to lift the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court last August blocking the 250-percent increase at the SLEX Alabang-Calamba segment. "It is most respectfully prayed that private respondents SLTC, MATES, and MTDME's urgent motion to lift temporary restraining order be denied for lack of merit," said Francisco's motion. Last August 23, the court issued two TROs to block the toll rate hike and the plan to subject toll rates to value added tax. On September 3, SLTC, MATES, MTDME asked the court to lift the order. Anomaly? In the same motion, Francisco also questioned the supposed bloated amount for the four-stage SLEX toll road project. The phases consist of the following: - Stage 1: Rehabilitation of the existing road from the end of the Skyway at Alabang, Muntinlupa city, to Filinvest exit in Alabang - Stage 2: Rehabilitation of the existing road from Alabang to Calamba City, Laguna - Stage 3: Construction of a new four-lane road that will run from Calamba to Sto. Tomas, Batangas - Stage 4: Construction of a new four-lane road that will run from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City, Quezon Francisco said that in February 2006, Malaysian contractor MTD Capital Berhad agreed to cover the four phases for P8.5 billion. However, Francisco claimed that in April 2010, only the two stages have been finished and the amount of the project for the two phases already reached P10 billion. Stages 3 and 4 have not been completed as well. In his petition, the lawyer asked the court to compel respondents SLTC, Philippine National Tollway Corporation, and the Toll Regulatory Board to explain the supposed discrepancy. "It is respectfully prayed that [respondents] be made to account for the billions of pesos of unexplained increase in the cost of the SLEX project and the non-construction of the Project Toll Road 4 from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City, Quezon," the motion read. - Sophia Regina Dedace/KBK, GMANews.TV