HB No. 2577 aims to grant 20% toll fee discount for seniors

The Expanded Senior Citizen Law entitles Filipino citizens 60 years and older to various benefits. The ones you may already know are 20% discounts or VAT exemptions on pharmacies, groceries, restaurants, and fares for public transport, this includes shuttles and ride-hailing services as well. To further grant freedom to Filipino seniors while traveling, they are also exempted from paying airport and seaport passenger fees on top of their discount.

Currently, Quezon City Representative Marvin Rillo seeks to include expressway toll fees among these perks by filing House Bill No. 5277, granting a 20% discount on all expressway toll fees in controlled-access roads like SLEX and NLEX. Marvin Rillo is also known for penning HB No. 2900, expanding the benefits for persons with disabilities, and later filing another bill, HB No. 5275, seeking to grant PWDs a similar discount of 20 percent on toll prices.

According to the requirements within the House Bill, the vehicle must be registered under the name of the senior citizen once the owner applies for RFID installation before they can avail of the discount. Under the bill, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is required to handle the issuance of the implementing rules and regulations (IRRs) and eventually, enforcement of the 20% toll fee discount.

In the case of vehicles being driven by other drivers besides the registered owner, however, the bill does not specify if the discount will still apply regardless of who is driving the vehicle. Still, should HB 5277 pass into law, elderly motorists will be able to enjoy discounted toll rates wherever they are driving in the country.