LTO’S private motor vehicle system f lawed, prone to graft–groups
THE Clean Air Movement Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) on Monday aired concern that private motorists in Metro Manila may be subjected to arbitrary imposition of fees to be imposed by Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVIC).
Most PMVICS are located outside Metro Manila and by the group’s account, only two are operating within the National Capital Region, according to Dr. Larry Pitpit, president of CAMPI during an online news conference via Zoom.
The PMVIC system, he said, was implemented without the benefit of an amendatory law to Republic Act 8749, or the Philippine Clean Air Act.
While saying they are not against ensuring the roadworthiness of motor vehicles since it will benefit the people through cleaner air, the group said implementing the policy requires transparency.
He reminded that no less than Sen. Grace Poe had called for a nononsense public consultation involving all concerned stakeholders to discuss the fee to be imposed on private motor vehicle inspections and slammed the Land Transportation Office’s (LTO) Memorandum Circular 2018-2158 dated November 28, 2018 requiring motorists to pay P1,800 for a motor vehicle inspection.
For his part, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), through its president, Arsenio Evangelista, called on all concerned agencies to ensure transparency believing that “if there is no public consultation, there’s corruption.”
“So we are calling all concerned agencies, as well as the head of agencies, to please, have transparency,” he said.
He, likewise, said that VACC is not against ensuring roadworthiness but is against compliance to a policy that is prone to corruption.
“We will support this as long as there is transparency and no corruption,” he said.
To recall, the Department of Transportation through the LTO has pushed through with the PMVIC system effective, supposed to be on December 29 last year.
This was particularly outrageous, according to Pitpit, considering that it was enforced as the country is still reeling from the economic impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic.
Around 12,000 workers employed in private emission testing centers (PETCS) already lost their jobs already due to the pandemic, CAMPI said.
Implemented first in Angeles City, Pampanga, followed by Nueva Ecija and other provinces, the group said some PETCS were forced to shut down.
This early, there were complaints of arbitrary fees being charged by PMVICS, which according to the group is holding hostage the certification that a vehicle is “roadworthy.”
The motor vehicle inspection program is a 70-point series of worthiness automated tests based on international standards prior to car and motorcycle registration.
Some motorists are also raising the issue of connectivity of the LTO information technology system with that of PMVICS.
With LTOS plan to put up only 138 PMVICS or inspection sites, its capacity to accommodate 12 million private cars and 15 million to 16 million motorcycles in the Philippines for inspection is also being raised.