Toll rebate: good optics for gov't but floods remain

It was the carmageddon of all carmageddons, at least in recent years, as the viral videos and photos of last week's monstrous flood-induced traffic along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) showed. One social media post even told of a child turning a year older in the hours-long traffic jam. She was eight when they got caught in the chaos and by the time they got out of the rumble, it was already her ninth birthday. As I write this, the more than 20-hour traffic had eased. And yes, there will be a toll relief for motorists traveling between Pulilan, Bulacan and San Fernando, Pampanga. This was agreed upon following talks between the Department of Transportation and NLEX Corp. It is certainly a welcome relief for furious motorists who endured hours of misery. But let's not mistake relief for a solution. While the operator of NLEX would find this more sensible than original calls for a blanket 'toll holiday' across the expressway, this tax relief is merely a band-aid. The rebate applies only to the San Fernando-Pulilan stretch in both directions and will continue until all lanes there are passable to all vehicle classes. For RFID users, the amount will be credited the day after passage. That is targeted assistance. Fair enough. It's also just good government optics. The bigger question remains – where's the real solution? Why, after billions upon billions of pesos spent on flood control projects, are vast areas of Central Luzon still ending up under water when the rains come? Pampanga was flooded after days of habagat rains pushed up the Pampanga River. This means that flooding in San Simon was hardly an isolated puddle inside NLEX. The problem was so widespread that even Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon acknowledged that pumping alone won't work because the water would simply flow back. Water, as we all know, always finds its way through – seeking its own level and flowing where it could. This means you cannot pump NLEX dry when communities, waterways and fields surrounding it are also under water. Motorists were understandably furious. Government officials quickly pointed to NLEX as the cause of the problem. Sec. Dizon backed a toll holiday while Sen. Joel Villanueva called for toll waivers or refunds. But the bigger and structural problem is overlooked. As I have consistently written in this column, the public is now paying the price of flood control corruption. In Pampanga's case, not only are the province's residents paying the price, but so are the motorists who got stuck on NLEX last week. Like in many provinces, corruption of flood control projects in Pampanga remains rampant. Note that in January, officials of DPWH-Pampanga were relieved from their posts for allegedly demanding commissions from projects, reportedly around eight percent. (The actual number could be significantly higher.) Of course, private investors should be held accountable for failures within their control. But force majeure cannot conveniently become a private sector offense every time government needs somebody to blame. This is not to say though that we shouldn't demand answers from NLEX Corp., nor should the operator be spared from liability for private sector offenses. I specifically asked NLEX insiders if they issued advisories or if they deployed first aid responders during the carmaggedon. They said they did but did they issue enough warnings? Could the warnings have come earlier? Could traffic have been diverted sooner? The Toll Regulatory Board has now ordered faster flood warnings, including at least three hours' notice before flood-related closures when practicable, along with better monitoring of river levels. Those improvements are reasonable and necessary. NLEX also coordinated with the DOTr, DPWH, MMDA, Northern Luzon Command, Philippine Coast Guard and Pampanga's provincial and local governments, which provided manpower and equipment. Based on published reports, NLEX also deployed pumps and sandbags and emergency lanes were opened to speed the delivery of government relief supplies. NLEX also did not simply collect tolls while motorists suffered. That is what a public-private partnership should look like during a crisis: government and concessionaire working together instead of searching for somebody to punish. On the proposed blanket toll holiday, Malacañang was right when it said a toll holiday could just make the traffic jam cheaper. Free access to an entire expressway could attract even more vehicles to a road already clogged by flooding. It wouldn't make the floodwater disappear. Besides, only portions of NLEX were badly flooded. A blanket toll holiday also means additional cost. Who will absorb it? Will this eventually be passed on to motorists later? But Malacañang spokesperson Claire Castro could have had more empathy when she talked about the NLEX problem. As a colleague said, it's not as if the motorists were on NLEX for a joy ride, reacting to Castro's statement that motorists should have stayed away from the highway at the time. Some had no choice due to work or some other important trip. Last week's carmageddon was unfortunate but certainly could have been avoided. For now, the toll concession is a welcome relief but the lasting solution should come from the government – fix drainage, improve river discharge, finish legitimate flood-control works, prosecute those responsible for failed projects and build infrastructure that can withstand increasingly severe weather. Free toll makes a good headline but keeping Pampanga above water – and seriously addressing our countrywide flood control problems – would make a much better one. * * * Email: [email protected]. 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