(UPDATE) NEWLY appointed Transportation Secretary Vivencio Dizon on Friday said he ordered the suspension of the cashless collection of toll fees on expressways, describing the system as "anti-poor."

The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) had earlier announced that all vehicles passing through expressways must be equipped with Radio-Frequency Identification (RFIDs) for cashless payment starting March 15, or they would be penalized.

In a press conference in Malacañang, Dizon said it was not the right time to implement the cashless system since it was still far from perfect.

He said the previous implementation of the cashless payment was a failure since not all motorists were aware of the policy.

"So I asked them to stop it. And I've already sent word to the toll operators that we are not going cashless on March 15, and we are not going cashless for the foreseeable future," Dizon said.

The Cashless or Contactless Transactions Program was supposed to be reimplemented starting March 15 in toll expressways under the TRB's jurisdiction to optimize the use of all the toll lanes or plazas through the utilization of Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) System.

All motorists traveling along the toll expressways are required to have an ETC Device or RFID sticker installed on their vehicles.

Those who violate the "No RFID, No Entry" policy will be meted with penalties.

But Dizon said he personally believes that the contactless payment was "anti-poor."

"Some of us here can load up to P5,000 into Easytrip and Autosweep. But what about our fellow citizens who are struggling with their budget?" he said.

Dizon also pointed out the difficulties that motorists with insufficient or zero balance in their RFID accounts would face under a cashless setup.

"What if, due to exhaustion, they forget to reload? What if they have a negative or zero balance? What will they do if there are no cash lanes?" Dizon said.

"That would be another hardship. That would be another burden on the people," he said.

Dizon said he wanted to work with the two toll operators — San Miguel Corp. and Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. — to make the contactless payment system more efficient first before going totally cashless on tollways.

"I understand the need to regulate. But it is necessary that the need to regulate should not result in making people's lives difficult. People's lives should be made better not made worse. This cashless thing, I think, is made worse, so I don't believe in it. Maybe when the time comes the system will be perfect," he said.

Dizon also vowed to accelerate the implementation of major transport infrastructure projects under the Marcos administration's Build Better More program, emphasizing the urgent need to modernize the country's transport systems and alleviate the daily struggles of commuters.

"Our objective is simple: speed up, improve and ensure the safety of our transport systems. 'Good enough' is not good enough," said Dizon.

Recognizing the long-standing challenges that have hindered the progress of key infrastructure projects, particularly right-of-way issues, Dizon underscored the necessity of a nationwide, multi-sectoral approach to overcoming these obstacles.

"All infrastructure projects encounter these problems, particularly right-of-way concerns. But solutions cannot come from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) alone," he said.

To ensure smooth implementation, Dizon called for stronger collaboration between government agencies, the private sector and the public, emphasizing a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to infrastructure development.

Dizon outlined the DOTr's strategy to address Metro Manila's chronic traffic congestion, citing high-capacity mass transportation and active transport-friendly spaces as long-term solutions.

Dizon was sworn in as the new DOTr chief by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He replaced Jaime Bautista.

Dizon said the President wanted to veer away from car-centric transportation solutions and focus on high-capacity mass transit and active transportation.

Dizon said the first thing the President told him was: "All these projects have to be fast tracked."

He said he and the President spoke at length about priority projects, including projects he wanted to leave as his legacy when his term ends.

"We spoke at length about this and, you know, the President wants to ease the struggle by the people in terms of transportation, health care, education, agriculture," he said.

"But transportation is a daily ordeal — you wake up to it and like a dream, you have to repeat it again. It's like a nightmare that comes every day, and the President really feels the pain of our people," he said.

Among the priority projects was the Metro Manila Subway, which Dizon called a "game changer" that would bring the Philippines closer to having a world-class transport system similar to those in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.

"I hope that in our lifetime, we all get to experience a subway system that works efficiently," he said.

Dizon also stressed the importance of the North-South Commuter Railway, which aims to improve connectivity between Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

He said a reliable rail system could help ease congestion by allowing workers from Bulacan or Pampanga to commute to business districts like Makati and Bonifacio Global City without needing to relocate.

Other key projects include regional airport upgrades, particularly in tourist destinations such as Siargao and Palawan.

Dizon said the government was looking to privatize airport operations to ensure better management, provided contracts protect both the government and passengers.