Following a move to waive toll fees for all medical practitioners last week, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) reported that some 2,000 doctors and nurses have already availed of toll-free RFID stickers valid at the STAR tollway, South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), the Skyway system, NAIAX, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).

“We started this initiative not only to show support for our medical front liners and government but also to inspire more businesses to step up their responses all the more and play their part in fighting the battle against COVID-19,” said SMC president Ramon S. Ang. “We know this is a small thing, considering the significance of what of our doctors and nurses are faced with every day, but this is one way we can serve them as they serve our country.”

Ang also assured the public that all SMC Infrastructure-operated tollways will continue to be operational, and extend full support to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in enforcing the Luzon-wide quarantine, while ensuring the unimpeded flow of essential goods and personnel.

In the first two weeks of the ECQ that started last March 15, SMC’s  tollways unit reported an 80 percent drop in vehicle volume from an average of 300,000 daily, at the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), which connects Metro Manila to Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, and Quezon, to as far as the Bicol region.

Recently, Ang emphasized that the loss of business and profits at this time when the country is dealing with a global pandemic, is not nearly as important as saving lives.

“Saving lives is always more important than money. We need to have a healthy population, reduce the number of individuals who can potentially get sick and die. We can always rebuild and make money in the process. Once a life is lost, it’s gone forever,” he said.

For now, only vehicles containing essential goods and services are allowed by the Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IAFT-EID) to travel on most roads, including the SLEX, Skyway, Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), NAIA Expressway Tollway, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).

Apart from providing free use of the expressway for medical front liners, SLEX has also designated priority lanes for medical practitioners and vehicles carrying essential goods such as medical supplies, medical equipment, food, and raw materials for food.