Gov’t to agencies, LGUs: Don’t delay food trucks
Malacañang on Tuesday urged national agencies and local government units (LGUs) to help farmers and traders take advantage of reduced toll and port fees to cushion the impact of high fuel prices on food.
“This begins with the speedy accreditation of farmers and traders who are qualified for the toll fee waiver,” Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said in a statement.
He added that “unnecessary and unreasonable” checks and inspections of food trucks conducted by the police and LGUs at checkpoints should be stopped because they delay travel and waste fuel.
Upon the directive of President Marcos, government regulators have slashed shipping and port fees as well as toll on expressways to ensure that prices for basic goods and commodities remain stable amid the energy shock caused by the Middle East conflict.
Noting that summer is harvest season, “the challenge is to reduce the time and the cost for produce to land in the market, especially since these are perishable,” Recto said.
According to him, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has started buying produce directly from farmers, and these food convoys will be scaled up, if needed.
A monthlong toll-free privilege on major expressways took effect on April 20 for accredited vehicles transporting agricultural seeds and crops, livestock and fish products, fertilizers and pesticides, and farm machinery. It was facilitated by the Department of Transportation and its attached agency, the Toll Regulatory Board.
Priority areas include major agricultural corridors in Luzon—particularly Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) and the Cordilleras—where large volumes of food products are transported daily to urban markets.
Food Lane Program
There are currently 1,162 private trucks accredited under the DA’s reactivated Food Lane Program, which was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the uninterrupted movement of farm goods as well as help stabilize supply and prices.
“The DA’s goal is to encourage the 3,100 truckers previously registered to get their easy-to-renew accreditation,” Recto said.
For its part, the DA said it is scaling up participation in the initiative through streamlined registration, expanded on-site enrollment and same-day approval of applications.
“The number will continue to increase, because many are encouraged to enroll in the program,” Agriculture Undersecretary Arrey Perez told reporters in a separate briefing.
Citing a government estimate, Recto said that if 3,000 trucks would benefit from the free road toll incentive under the Food Lane Program, their combined savings would be between P150 million and P165 million a month.
To expedite deliveries, Recto said that vehicles carrying food and perishable goods, as well as oil tankers, have been exempted from the truck ban in Metro Manila from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“And that may be extended based on our assessment of prevailing conditions,” he added.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and local government units have also suspended pass-through and delivery fees for cargo vehicles transporting goods across the National Capital Region.
On the other hand, the Philippine Ports Authority has slashed the Ro-Ro (roll-on, roll-off ships) terminal fees for vehicles transporting agricultural goods to just P1 effective April 10, from the previous rates ranging from P258 to P516, depending on the vehicle type.
The reduced rate, which is good for six months, applies to Ro-Ro vehicles carrying raw and unprocessed agricultural products such as rice, corn, fruits, vegetables, fishery products and live livestock or poultry. —WITH A REPORT FROM JORDEENE B. LAGARE
