Have you the (RFID) Pass?

By VW Joseph Harold W. Santiago, GSc (48)

As the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) eased its protocols in the 3rd Quarter of 2020, land travel started to resume. Among the health concern is the exchange of cash and toll tickets in various toll ways especially in Luzon. To minimize coronavirus transmissions, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) have ordered the management of all tollways nationwide to shift from cash-based payments at toll plazas to an independent cashless system using RFIDs. As a refresher, RFID – stands for radio frequency identification. The technology involves the use of electromagnetic fields to identify and track tags attached to objects. The system has 3 components: a radio transponder, a radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromagnetic interrogation pulse from a nearby RFID reader device, the tag transmits digital data, usually an identifying inventory number, back to the reader.

… according to Metro Pacific Tollways chief communication officer Romulo Quimbo, an RFID ticketing system is as simple as a barcode scanner reading a barcode in your car. Also, he stressed that the system had been in use by a lot of vehicles for a long time.

“‘The RFID is not a device. It’s a sticker. So, this sticker you put wherever — windshield. It has no battery. It is really just a sticker. When you pass through a tollgate, there’s a reader, a detector there,” Quimbo, speaking partly in Filipino, told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview on Tuesday. “The reader will detect if you have an RFID and that RFID will be recognized by the reader,” he added.

First, there are two types of RFIDs — an active and a passive one. If the RFID has no battery and is only read by a scanner — like in most tollway systems — that is a passive RFID. It does not send a signal to the sensor. Quimbo explained that scanners on Metro Pacific’s toll booths — NLEx, SCTEx, Harbour Link, Cavitex, Cala Expressway — would be able to read RFIDs provided by Easytrip, the partneragency of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC). As a car approaches the toll barriers at MPTC’s expressways, RFID scanners read data about what class the vehicle is and its corresponding account, which will tell whether it has a sufficient balance to enter the tollgate.

To be able to be RFID compliant, each vehicle frequenting Luzon Tollways should have 2 brands of RFID Stickers Installed: Autosweep RFID and Easytrip RFID.

The AutoSweep RFID of San Miguel Investments can be used at:

• • • South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Tarlac – Pangasinan – La Union Express Way (TPLEX) Skyway, NAIAX, STAR Tollways / MCX

The EasyTrip RFID of Metro Pacific Investments can be used at:

• • North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Subic – Clark – Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) • C-5 LINK and CALAX Tollways

RFIDs are available at gasoline stations along expressways. But due to a surge in RFID applications brought by the DOTr order, several booths were set near the toll plazas to accommodate motorists. The RFID sticker is free but an initial 500 php load is required per sticker Brand.

In NCR – Jose Rizal Lodge No. 22 (Masonic District NCR C) headed by WB Stephen T. Sia initiated an installation of Autosweep and Easytrip RFID stickers held at the Plaridel Masonic Temple last October 18, 2020. To ensure

proper social distancing was observed, vehicle owners were instructed to remain in their vehicles as members of the organizing team made the effort to process the submission of papers for the vehicle owners.

Members and family of members of the Lodge participated along with the brethren from other Lodges. A total 230 vehicles were installed for Easytrip and 203 vehicles for Autosweep.

In Luzon – 2 Masonic Lodges and a Sojourners Club took time out to cater to the needs of the traveling Brethren as well as the public, and offered the RFID Installation on the following dates:

Zaragoza Masonic Lodge No. 263 c/o WB Jesus Romeo Rigor (200 vehicles / (Masonic Compound in Zaragosa, Nueva Ecija

Narra Masonic Lodge No. 171 c/o Eric Duculan (200 vehicles / Masonic Compound in San Jose City)

Fort Magsaysay Sojourners Club Inc. (350 vehicles / Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija) c/o Club President, Bro Hubert Acierto, WM Gen Artemio Ricarte Lodge 136, done in coordination with the 7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division, Fort Magsaysay

Aside from their respective Toll Plazas both AUTOSWEEP & EASYTRIP RFIDs can be reloaded through GCash, PayMaya, 7-Eleven Branches, and other centers. For the benefit of the Brethren, Reloading Posters have been included in this issue.