The leaders of truckers’ associations in Pampanga, Bulacan and Tarlac have agreed to a proposal imposing a P30 fee per overloaded truck of gravel and sand plying the Pampanga area.
This developed as the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Committees on Environment and Public Works held a joint hearing on the proposed fee where the truckers agreed to the proposal as an amendment to the original ordinance passed by the SP. The hearing was presided by Board Member Nestor Tolentino, chair of the Environment Committee.
Arthur F. Punsalan, head of the Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), told the body that funds accumulated from this shall be used to have digital weigh bridges installed in strategic locations in the province while the six weighing scales bought earlier would be used as mobile tools placed in other strategic locations for wider monitoring of trucks.
Vice-Gov. Joseller Guiao suggested that immediately from the quarry site, there should already be a weighing bridge so that the receipt issued by it shall be used and accredited in all other posts such as the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and Philippine National Police (PNP).
“This would prove to be time and money-saving as this would allow them to go smoothly through various stations with just the one receipt from the first weighing bridge,” Guiao expounded.
Punsalan also informed the body that this move will prevent further damage to roads and bridges that are part of the truckers/ regular route, allowing the government to “save up on money as well”. He said that earlier, at least two roads in Bulacan have collapsed due to the wear and tear from overloaded trucks carrying gravel and sand to and from the area.
“When implemented, this move will level the playing field among truckers,” Punsalan added as he referred to the unfair advantage of the so called “hustlers” over legitimate ones, with the former overloading their trucks and delivering same during hours when no monitoring is done by authorities. With the weighing scales and eventually, weighing bridges, located strategically, every truck shall be monitored and violators penalized.
Punsalan emphasized that fees should be paid at the Provincial Treasurer’s Office, “never in the field to avoid possible breeding of corrupt practices”.
Vice-Gov. Guiao, BM Tolentino and Punsalan assured Arnold Liwanag, president of the Pampanga Truckers’ Association, that the receipt issued by the weighing bridge shall cover all the bases and shall serve as the lone ticket accredited in all the stations monitoring the trucks.
Thereafter, Liwanag and the other head of the truckers associations in Bulacan and Tarlac expressed their agreement to the proposed additional fee for overloaded quarry trucks plying the Pampanga route.
Punsalan informed the body that another meeting is scheduled on September 7 with the various concerned agencies such as the DPWH, DENR, LTO, PNP, NLEx and SCTEx to inform them of this development and sign a memorandum of agreement on the matter. (PIO Pampanga)
