Vehicle 'pass-through fees' suspended

TO ensure the efficient movement of goods across regions, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. suspended the collection of the «pass-through fees» among local government units (LGUs) for any vehicles that are transporting any goods, Malacañang announced Friday.

The President, through Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, signed on September 25 Executive Order (EO) 41, prohibiting all LGUs from collecting toll and charges to all motor vehicles transporting goods or merchandise while passing through any national road and other roads not constructed and funded by them.

«In the interest of public welfare, all LGUs are further strongly urged to suspend or discontinue the collection of fees such as, but not limited to, sticker fees, discharging fees, delivery fees, market fees, toll fees, entry fees, or Mayor's Permit fees, that are imposed upon all motor vehicles transporting goods and passing through any local public roads constructed and funded by said LGUs,» the President said in his order.

«The unauthorized imposition of pass-through fees has a significant impact on transportation and logistics costs, which are often passed on to consumers, who ultimately bear the burden of paying for the increase in prices of goods and commodities,» he added.

The President also said that reducing transport and logistics costs is one of the pillars of the 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda of the administration.

«In order to uphold the welfare and advance the best interest of the Filipino people, it is the overarching policy of the Administration to consolidate all essential components within the value and supply chain, and reduce the costs of food logistics, which play a pivotal role in effectively tempering the inflation rate in the country,» Marcos said.

«Building a robust and collaborative partnership between the National Government and LGUs is essential in effectively addressing the impacts of inflation and promoting economic prosperity across all regions,» he added.

To effectively implement the EO, the President directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to secure copies of existing ordinances of all LGUs on the collection of pass-through fees imposed on motor