SMC waives toll fees for medical front liners

FILE: South Luzon Expressway looking northbound from Susana Heights (Photo by Patrickroque01 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA – San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is waiving toll on all its expressways for medical front liners working tirelessly to save lives in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis.

Through its SMC Infrastructure, the company said the following toll roads will be free of toll for all health care professionals for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine: STAR Tollway, South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Skyway, NAIAX, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX)

“This is the least we can do to show our appreciation and gratitude for our doctors and nurses’ who are working under extremely challenging circumstances to save lives. Considering the sacrifices they make on a daily basis, this is a small gesture. But nevertheless, we hope it helps make life a bit easier for them, and remind them that what they do for all us is deeply appreciated,” SMC president Ramon Ang said.

To avail of the toll-free privilege, medical personnel needs to secure a special RFID sticker from SMC Tollways or have their existing RFID sticker converted.

These may be availed at temporary booths the company has set up, initially, at the Shell Magallanes gas station and the NAIAX toll gate, from 8 a.

m. to 7 p.m.

Medical practitioners only need to present their PRC license card. An SMC tollway personnel will install the toll-free RFID stickers on their vehicles or convert their existing stickers to toll-free stickers.

The company said it will make the toll-free RFID stickers available at other major locations soon.

“We hope that with this program, our medical frontliners would have one less thing to worry about,” Ang added.

Earlier, SMC also announced that it opened priority lanes at the SLEX to help ensure the unimpeded flow of essential goods such as medical supplies and equipment as well as food and raw materials for food.

The company is also undertaking a massive, nationwide effort to provide free rubbing alcohol to medical practitioners in hospitals as well as other vital agencies and institutions.

Under Ang, the company is also distributing food donations to vulnerable communities affected by the quarantine, as well as hospitals all over Metro Manila. (PR)