The toll holiday will apply to all SMC-operated expressways, including the Skyway System, NAIA Expressway (NAIAX), South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), STAR Tollway and the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX).

Tolls will be waived from 10:00 p.m. on Dec. 24 until 6:00 a.m. on Dec. 25, and from 10:00 p.m. on Dec. 31 until 6:00 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2026, the company said.

SMC said the toll waiver is intended to benefit motorists traveling late at night to reach their families during the holiday season.

SMC Infrastructure, the company’s infrastructure arm, said safety and security personnel have been placed on heightened alert, alongside measures to manage the expected surge in traffic during the holidays.

Beginning noon on Dec. 20, additional patrol and security personnel were deployed in critical areas, while emergency response teams were placed on standby to ensure the swift clearing of road obstructions.

Traffic monitoring centers across SMC-operated expressways are operating 24/7 to track traffic conditions and coordinate with emergency responders.

To help ease congestion, roadworks that may affect traffic flow have been suspended from Dec. 20 until Jan. 4, 2026.

Tow trucks and other emergency vehicles have also been positioned at strategic locations to ensure faster response to incidents.

SMC Infrastructure advised motorists to plan their trips ahead, allow extra travel time and ensure sufficient balance in their Autosweep accounts to avoid delays at toll plazas.

The company added it has coordinated with local government units and national agencies to help manage traffic on public roads connecting to the expressways.

SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said the company is closely coordinating with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) to facilitate the toll-free access.

“Our priority is to make sure responders reach affected communities as quickly as possible,” Ang said. “We have always worked with government in times of calamity—it’s part of our duty to help ensure aid gets to those who need it the most.”

SMC has deployed tollway personnel across its expressways to guide emergency convoys and guarantee their safe passage.

SMC Infrastructure operates over 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, SMC dispatched maintenance teams to inspect and clear drainage systems, secure roadside signages, and preposition quick-response units and heavy equipment in flood-prone areas to keep expressways open and safe.

The company also reminded motorists to observe traffic rules and speed limits, and to drive with caution amid adverse weather conditions.

SMC has a long-standing record of supporting national emergency efforts. During the height of the pandemic, it waived over ₱230 million in toll fees for medical frontliners across all its expressways.

The signing ceremony, led by MPTC Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan and SMC Chief Executive Officer Ramon S. Ang, along with Chaye Cabal Revilla and SMC SVP, Infrastructure Business Head Lorenzo Formoso III, marks a significant milestone in the development of the P72 billion CBEX and NBEX project. 

The MOA signing underscores the commitment of both toll road companies to deliver world-class expressways that will serve the needs of millions of motorists and commuters in the CALABARZON region. Throughout the project, MPTC and SMC will work closely with the Philippine government, local communities, and stakeholders to ensure a sustainable and responsible development that aligns with the country’s infrastructure goals.

“Our shared commitment to nation-building has led us to this historic collaboration. Together, we aim to deliver world-class road networks that will serve as arteries of progress, growth and development for our country and the Filipino people.  This collaboration stands as a testament to what we can achieve when we are united in purpose,” SMC President and CEO Ramon S. Ang said.

“Together with SMC, we envisage a future where our CBEX and NBEX can help pave the way for connectivity and economic growth in the CALABARZON region. We look forward to leveraging on our respective strengths for the realization of this vital infrastructure project.” said MPTC Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan

Under the agreement, MPTC and SMC will jointly undertake the construction, operation and maintenance of the 88-kilometer-long toll road projects. This will encompass two vital expressways: one is the 27.06-kilometer CBEX that will establish a crucial link connecting CALAX’ Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange to Nasugbu, Batangas, while the 60.90-kilometer NBEX will provide seamless connectivity from Nasugbu to Bauan, Batangas. The groundbreaking is scheduled for 2024 and CBEX and NBEX are expected to be completed and open to the public in 2027.

The route will traverse the townships of Silang, Amadeo, Tagaytay, Indang, Mendez, and Alfonso in Cavite before crossing into Nasugbu and finally reaching Bauan, Batangas. 

In 2018, MPTC presented a proposal for the 50.4-kilometer Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway (CTBEX) project to the Department of Public Works and Highways and was granted the original proponent status. Similarly, SMC’s unsolicited proposal for the CBEX and NBEX was approved by the Cavite and Batangas government. Both projects share the common goal of connecting the provinces of Cavite and Batangas through Tagaytay City and MPTC and SMC have come together as partners in this significant venture. 

Both MPTC and SMC share a common goal of contributing to the development of road infrastructure and enhancing the transportation sector in the country. Aside from CALAX, MPTC currently holds the concession for several vital expressways, including the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), its C5 Link Segment, the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), the NLEX Connector Road, and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) in Cebu. Whilst SMC holds the concession for crucial toll roads such as the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Skyway, NAIA Expressway (NAIAX), Star Tollway, Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), and the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX).

The implementation of the transaction is subject to completion of certain conditions, including the execution procurement relevant approvals and execution of definitive agreements.

With the plan to comply with 100% cashless electronic toll collection for the motorists, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) announced that both the Skyway and the South Luzon Expressway has increased to 85%, despite the continuing availability of cash lanes, as government has yet to fully implement its mandate of 100% cashless transactions at all expressways.    

SMC, which operates the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), the Skyway System, NAIA Expressway, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), said the higher utilization of Autosweep RFID toll collection has significantly improved traffic throughput at its toll plazas.  

“Since December, and even through January and February, there has been a big improvement in traffic throughput at almost all our toll plazas, as majority of motorists have followed government’s safety protocol of using electronic toll collection. We’re no longer seeing the kind of lines we used to have when majority of motorists were using cash payments,” said SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang.   

“So apart from minimizing the risk of spreading COVID-19, especially now that there are new variants, the cashless system is also providing more convenience and ease of travel for motorists, especially now that more people are coming back to work and the economy is reopening gradually. This is definitely a big benefit to motorists,” Ang added.  

The government’s mandate to shift to fully cashless was supposed to take full effect last January 11. This has been deferred to allow more motorists, particularly non-regular users of tollways and those living in far-off provinces, ample time to avail of free RFID stickers. As such, cash lanes are still available at expressways.  

Ang however shared that at major toll plazas such as the Calamba toll gate, where there are still a large volume of motorists using cash, traffic congestion continues to be a regular occurrence in the area, as the buildup of cash motorists tend to block RFID users.

There has also been a significant number of cases where RFID motorists with no load or insufficient load balance repeatedly use the electronic payment collection (ETC) lanes–holding up other motorists and causing traffic.  

Recently, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) announced a plan to implement a “Three-Strike Policy” for erring motorists who use ETC lanes with insufficient load credits. The Department of Transportation (DoTR) and TRB are expected to release the policy’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR) soon.   

According to DOTr Undersecretary Garry de Guzman, who has been appointed as alternate TRB chairman by DOTr Sec. Arthur Tugade, the policy is aimed at eliminating disruption at the toll lanes and avoiding inconvenience for compliant RFID users.  

Under the three-strike policy, erring motorists will receive a reminder to load for the first offense, a warning for the second offense, and apprehension and pre-COVID penalties for those who commit the offense for the third time.   

Ang said that the company will comply with TRB’s new policy as its system is able to monitor repeat offenders.  He also assured existing RFID users even more convenience in reloading and monitoring their Autosweep accounts.    

Motorists can either top up or reload at any of the Autosweep Point-of-Sales, SMC Toll Gates, and accredited Merchant Reloading partners across the whole Luzon area.   

Over-the-counter reloading is available at popular retail outlets, including Petron Treats, Savemore, SM Bills Pay and SM Business Services; SM Hypermarket, Waltermart, 7-Eleven, Shopwise and Shopwise Express, Family Mart, Rustan’s, Robinsons Department Store and Robinson’s Supermarkets; The Marketplace, Wellcome supermarket, as well as payments centers Expresspay, Tambunting, LBC, Bayad Centers, and RD pawnshops.   

Online reloading is also available, through partner banks Bank of Commerce, BPI, Union Bank, China Bank, Maybank, and popular gateways G-Cash, Pay Maya, Eon, Coins.ph, and Justpay.To. Self-service reloading is also available via Touchpay, ECPay, and E-Tap.  

SMC tollways STAR, SLEX, Skyway, NAIAX and TPLEX also continue to provide a lane for cash-paying motorists at its toll plazas, but this will only continue only until the DOTr imposes the full Cashless Program.  

Also, as of February 16, SMC was operating 160 Autosweep RFID stickering stations across different locations, from its own Autosweep RFID Center officers, toll plaza, malls, government offices, transport terminal hubs, and car dealerships.  

“With all these efforts, I hope our motorists will find it much easier to comply with government mandate and shift to the much safer and faster system of electronic toll collection. We will continue to work to make necessary adjustments and improvements to support government initiatives and ensure that motorists will have better, safer journeys on our expressways,” Ang said.

As part of the holiday tradition, San Miguel Corporation, through its infrastructure arm, is waiving all toll fees at its expressways for Christmas and New Year.

Covered will be the major southern tollways Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), Southern Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Skyway, NAIA Expressway, and also the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway in the north. 

SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said the “toll holiday” initiative is a yearly tradition for the company to grant motorists temporary free access to the expressways, to celebrate the holidays. “From 10:00 pm on December 24 to 6:00 am on December 25 we will open all our expressways—STAR, SLEX, Skyway, NAIAX, TPLEX–for free to all motorists.

We are doing the same from 10:00 pm on December 31, to 6:00 am on January 1. This is an annual tradition that we do for the benefit of motorists, especially those who have to see family in other parts of the city or have to go home to the provinces,” Ang said.

Ang added that in previous years, many motorists would use the opportunity to travel and spend time with family, friends, and loved ones from other parts of the city or nearby provinces. “This year will be no exception, we’re still implementing the toll holiday, although because of the pandemic, we know we are all asked to minimize contact with others outside our immediate families. But we still thought to open the expressways because it has become part of our commitment to motorists, and a way for us to give a little Christmas cheer,” he said. 

“For those who do have a reason, or an urgent need to travel on the expressways on Christmas and New Year’s, we hope you appreciate and enjoy this toll holiday and pass on a small act of kindness to others. Any positive thing you do for others will go a long way, especially during these times” Ang added.

Aware of the clamor and demand of the public to shift in cashless collections, San Miguel Corporation (SMC), operator of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), Skyway, NAIA Expressway, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), is targeting to operate a total of 156 RFID installation stations by the end of December to make it easier for more motorists to migrate to the government-mandated electronic toll collection system. 

Already, SMC reported opening a total of 42 new stations in the last two weeks, in addition to the 53 stations it had as of November, bringing the current total to 95 stations.  

SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said: “We’re glad to report that we are on track to deliver on our promise to open 100 additional RFID stations. In fact, it will be a little more than that. Our bulk orders of RFID tags from abroad have been arriving as scheduled, so we’ve also been able to gradually open more stations—42 new ones as of the last count. An additional 61 outlets, mostly off-site, are in process and we will open all of these by end of December,” Ang said.  

Ang said that currently, most of the active stations are located at its expressways, namely STAR, SLEX, Skyway, NAIAx, and TPLEX, with others located at gas stations, customer service centers, and transport terminals.   

But in order to provide convenience to even more motorists, especially non-frequent users of SMC’s expressways, he said that nearly all of the 61 remaining outlets to be opened will be located outside the expressways.   

These include new installation stations at more gas stations, transport terminals, malls, home builder complexes, local government offices, Land Transportation Office (LTO) facilities, churches, and major arenas.  These are on top of its Autosweep RFID caravan program, where wing vans will be deployed to barangays and villages to conduct stickering activities.   

“We hear the clamor from the public to make RFID installation even more accessible. We hope that these efforts will help make it easier for more people to avail themselves of their free RFID stickers. We will continue to evaluate our efforts and put in place all the improvements and adjustments necessary to make it better for everyone,” Ang said.  

Ang added that apart from increasing the number of installation stations, the company will also maintain one cash lane per toll plaza, so vehicles with no RFID stickers may still be allowed entry and given their Autosweep stickers. This is to help prevent traffic congestion at its toll plazas.   

Ang also highlighted that SMC’s Autosweep system, used in STAR, SLEX, Skyway, NAIAX, and TPLEX, has a 98% read rate and a detection range of up to five meters–resulting in faster and more reliable throughput at toll plazas.  

The system is also equipped with “real-time” loading, which means that even if a motorist is only able to load shortly before entering the toll plaza, the load will be credited in real-time, further minimizing delays and traffic congestion. 

Last December 1, on the first day of implementation of fully cashless transactions, SMC reported that there were no major traffic gridlocks at its expressways STAR, SLEX, SKWAY, NAIAX, and TPLEX.

Since March 15, the start of the community quarantine, I already dreaded what Agnes would feel when the days of a sustained lockdown continue. I knew it would be tough for her more than anyone in my household.

Agnes is my wife’s sister, she will be 43 years old this November. She is a child who will only grow in size but shall always remain a child, and has grown to call me Daddy. In many ways, you can call her my daughter. My wife and I had a miscarriage in Canada, and then in the Philippines. Now the risk of bearing a child is too high for us to try another pregnancy. Thus, having Agnes in our life is a blessing of completeness.

Like many with down syndrome, Agnes is very outgoing, jovial, and highly sociable, so she has been with us in nearly all of our trips. She loves to travel, drink red wine at night, and take coffee in the morning. It’s been her ritual and quite a hard habit to break.

Agnes has always been educable; and just like any other kid, her list of interests includes dancing, boxing, completing puzzles, and drawing. Whatever she may lack in qualities most people possess, God has compensated with her keen sensory perception. We’d be surprised she could tell some things just before they actually happen. That’s why sometimes I call her “Wolverine.” One time, she insisted that I stay and not travel abroad. I hadn’t even mentioned to anyone that I was planning a trip to Dubai upon the invitation of a newspaper publisher who had appointed me as Chief Philippine Correspondent.

In these last four months, a lot in Agnes’ behavior has changed. She lost the concept of Sunday, which she would always remind us a day before that “Simba” is coming. Now, it looks like she was rebooted, and personally as his Daddy, I also struggle handling her quandary as to what is happening in the world.

No office, no Church, no Greenbelt, no Starbucks, no Wendy’s, no eating out and no usual routines that she used to do with us. This is something that is hard for her to understand. I try to keep our special bond going, like drinking wine and coffee together and having our haircut together, but for the rest of things, this pandemic has turned her world upside down.

Agnes has become irritable, sleeps longer (almost 12 hours), craves for wine almost every day, and always asks: “Papasok?” You’d sense the frustration that going to the office with us seems to be too far ahead for her.

All of these remain a daily struggle for me as I keep figuring out what I can do to console her. One time, she turned violent and hit my head with the stack of wooden placemats. She laughed out loud, but upon seeing I was hurt, said sorry. I really did not feel anger, because I knew she was trying to find an outlet to release her angst, given the fact that the whole world was disrupted by COVID19, and much more her own little world with me and the people in the office that she misses. It was her way of coping with her sudden abnormal world.

This little world of Agnes has been momentarily disrupted. As for how long this would last, only God knows. Sometimes, I even ask myself, “What if I died? How would Agnes cope with not seeing me anymore?”

Of course, we never treat her differently. We treat her as a normal child. But each day during the community quarantine is like hell to her, or maybe purgatory. I told my wife that the best thing to keep Agnes’ sanity is to drive her around, and we’ve managed to do this twice during the GCQ (General Community Quarantine).

Could you imagine what a simple road trip can mean to a person in isolation? It’s magic that makes a gloomy world turn happy. So, even if my wife and I are both busy, we make time to drive Agnes around just to see and feel the trees, moving cars and people bustling with life from behind a car window.

I still remember when we first told Agnes that we were going out. She exclaimed, “Papasok?” and I smiled and said, “No. We will go ‘ikoy-ikoy’ (go drive around).” Her face beamed and hurried straight to the bathroom to bathe and dress up. I was excited for Agnes, but none of us was as excited as she.

As soon as I pulled out of the garage, I was surprised to see Agnes laughing her way out to the driveway so quickly. She suffers from 3rd-degree knee degeneration due to osteoarthritis in both her knees so she usually moves slowly. Compound that with the fact that, due to this pandemic, she failed to get her knee lubricant injection for both knees to ease the pain. But happiness, like laughter, truly cures any disease as in this case.

Of course, it helps that we drive a medium-sized SUV. The Honda CRV provides just the right legroom for her at the back where she could stretch her knees, plus she adores the collapsible cupholders for her water jug and drinks. Seeing her wide-eyed grin from the rearview mirror made me think, “Independence Day!”

Finally, when we hit the road, Agnes started giggling, then saluted the guards in the village as we had trained her. The farther we drove away, the louder she laughed. We were cruising along C-5 road extension as I planned to take the Skyway leading to Taguig and Libis areas, places that offer Agnes sights far different from our residential monotony.

I drove smoothly, just the way Agnes liked it – not too fast as she gets jittery upon hitting 100 km/h. Her body seems to have a built-in speedometer. Along the way, she chants to the billboards we pass by: “Jobigee!” for Jollibee; “MaDo!” for McDonald’s; and “O-box!” for Starbucks. We knew she wanted to swing by, so before we could even finish the question, she fires back: “O-Box!” At the drive-thru, we ordered her favorite Dark Chocolate Mocha Frappucino.  Then, it was all quiet bliss and twinkling in her eyes as she sipped on her Starbucks drink with all the way to Cubao, Quezon City.

Meanwhile, Agnes was enjoying her favorite drink from Starbucks inside the car. For her, it was truly a Freedom Day. You can see the glow in her eyes beyond words. So my wife and I decided to drive from Quezon City to Makati via EDSA but this time we take the Boni Serrano Avenue Road.

Interestingly, when we passed by Camp Aguinaldo and Agnes pointed out at the military camp’s Logistics Gate and made a sign of the cross and said, “Simba”. Meaning, that she used to hear mass there before when she was still young. Much as I wanted to take her inside the camp’s chapel at the St. Ignatius de Loyola Parish Church, I did not take the chance since all camps are in red alert status and if I have no decal, there is a slim chance we would be allowed to enter.

From that side, I deliberately made it a long trip for Agnes. So we drove back to 20th Avenue instead of going straight to EDSA via Boni Serrano Avenue. Then we took P. Tuazon Avenue going to Cubao and to traverse EDSA. Since it was past 6 and a bit darker, along the way, we are telling Agnes that the establishments she used to see open during those times are now closed like the stores in Ali Mall, SM, and other establishments.

When we turned to EDSA, it was traffic and Agnes who seemed to wander in her head, then exclaimed: “Traffic!” Then my wife and I looked at each other and sensed that Agnes knew we were heading back home.

To prolong her joy ride, we decided to pass by Greenbelt and my wife bought some burgers at Wendy’s for the three of us and Agnes’ favorite iced tea. Agnes got what she used to have, except it was a bit of a shortcut of a usual day at the office. As we drove back home, Agnes seemed to have found what was missing in her life in lockdown and was contented by it all. To us, it was just a drive; but to Agnes, it was truly a joy ride.

As of this writing, the cases of COVID19 dramatically rises every day that I dread what may be an increased chance of an ECQ (Enhanced Community Quarantine) being implemented again. This means more limited mobility. While I serve in media and, as such, classified as an essential worker, I cannot tag Agnes along with me.

Indeed, this COVID19, regardless of whether this is genetically-engineered or natural virus has created havoc in everyone’s life and in the whole world. Having said this, the fact remains we need to keep our sanity and stay alive in the midst of the pandemic. As for us, having Agnes in our life is truly special, so if the only way to keep her healthy in body and mind is to drive her around, then so be it. Let our Agnes see the sunlight even once in a while to give her hope that this darkness brought about by COVID19, too, shall pass.

As Saint Francis of Assisi said, “A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.”