GOV’T VEHICLES MOBILIZED FOR RELIEF, RECOVERY OPERATIONS IN ‘UWAN’- AFFECTED AREAS CAN USE SMC TOLLWAYS FOR FREE

SAN Miguel Corporation (SMC), through its infrastructure arm, has implemented toll-free access for marked government vehicles mobilized for relief and recovery operations in areas affected by Typhoon Uwan, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure the unimpeded movement of government responders across Luzon.

SMC chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said the company’s toll operations teams are coordinating closely with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) to facilitate the implementation of the President’s order.

“Our priority is to make sure responders get to affected communities as quickly as possible,” Ang said. “We have always worked with government in times of calamity. It’s part of our responsibility to help and to make sure aid reaches those who need it,” he added.

SMC said tollway personnel have been deployed across its expressways to assist emergency convoys and ensure their safe and unimpeded passage.

SMC Infrastructure operates more than 200 kilometers of expressways in Luzon, including the Skyway System, South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), STAR Tollway, Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX), and NAIA Expressway.

Ahead of Typhoon Uwan’s landfall, the company deployed maintenance crews to inspect and clear drainage systems, secure roadside signages and billboards, and preposition quick-response teams and heavy equipment in flood-prone areas to keep expressways passable.

Motorists are advised to observe traffic rules and speed limits at all times, and to exercise extra caution when driving in inclement weather.

For more than a year during the pandemic, SMC waived over P230 million in toll fees for medical frontliners across all its expressways.