00:00Sorry, I have a public service announcement, and I'm wondering why I'm not asking you.
00:09I'm expecting that question.
00:10TRB had an announcement the other day that NREX and SREX will be cashless.
00:16Okay.
00:17I'm telling you right now, I've already told TRB to suspend that.
00:21Okay?
00:22Cashless.
00:23Cashless means there will be no cash gain.
00:27And I will tell you why.
00:29Number one, this was tried already in the past.
00:40Several years ago.
00:42And we probably all remember what happened in Bagintawak and in other choke points on NREX and SREX.
00:49It went viral.
00:51Because I guess for whatever reason, the information was not disseminated, etc.
00:56So, I want to first work with the two tall operators, MPTC and San Miguel.
01:04And let's look at the system first.
01:08Is there a way to make it more efficient?
01:10Is it okay?
01:11Are all the barriers working?
01:12Are all the RFIDs being read?
01:15Because if we still have a problem like that, and our system is not yet perfect,
01:20maybe it's not yet time for us to go cashless.
01:25But I have another reason.
01:27For me, my personal opinion, and I've communicated this already to TRB,
01:32having a cashless system is not pro-poor.
01:38It is anti-poor.
01:39Why?
01:41Maybe for us here, because I know your salary is high,
01:44you can afford to go on an easy trip and an auto-sweep of P2,000, P3,000, P5,000.
01:53For Ivan, maybe P10,000.
01:55Right?
01:57But what about our fellow countrymen who have a tight budget?
02:03Right?
02:05They won't be able to afford it.
02:06Or what if they forget to load because they are tired?
02:11Their balance is negative or zero negative.
02:13What will they do if they go cashless?
02:17It will be a nightmare again.
02:20It will make things difficult for people.
02:24Right?
02:25I think there should be a change in mindset.
02:28Right?
02:29I understand the need to regulate.
02:31I understand that.
02:33But the need to regulate should not result in making the lives of people difficult.
02:41People's lives should be affected, not made difficult.
02:44Right?
02:45This cashless system, I think, will make it difficult.
02:50That's why I'm not calling for it.
02:52Maybe when the time comes when the system is perfect,
02:57But right now, I don't believe in it.
03:00So I ask them to stop it.
03:02And I've already sent word to the toll operators that we're not going cashless on March 15.
03:07And we are not going cashless for the foreseeable future.
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