Group urges govt to retain PMVICS
CONSUMER advocacy group Agham has appealed to the Department of Transportation (DOTR) to maintain the operations of private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICS) to comply with the Clean Air Act.
According to Agham President Angelo Palmones, the removal of the PMVICS is a reversal of the progress that the government has achieved in upholding the environmental law.
DOTR Secretary Arthur Tugade recently ordered the temporary suspension of the mandatory testing via PMVICS pending the resolution of the issue on the geographic areas of responsibility.
“When you look at it carefully, there is an environmental issue at its core. We can’t continue the old normal with Private emission Testing Centers (PETCS), the blatant shortcomings of which has led to continued air pollution from smoke-belching vehicles even during the coronavirus disease pandemic,” Palmones said.
he said the group believes that PMVICS provide better evaluation versus PETCS, as they use a 72-point test for vehicles, while the latter only checks the smoke emission of vehicles.
“republc Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act places utmost importance on the maintaining healthy and safe air to breath for Filipinos. This can be achieved if motorists patronize the more modern and scientificallyinclined PMVICS.”
Laban Konsyumer Inc. President Vic Dimagiba also chimed in the group’s support for PMVICS.
“Laban Konsyumer Inc. supports
the advocacy of Agham for the transport agencies to implement now the PMVIC, which has been a much-delayed project for the past three to four administrations,” Dimagiba said.
he added: “Millions in foreign aid as well as local appropriations has been spent and this is a project that complies with the specific mandate of the Clean Air Act.”
Dimagiba proposed for PETCS to remain operational in areas that have no PMVICS “provided that they are competent and truly fulfill their role in checking out vehicle.”
Palmones also noted that solely relying on PETCS and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) District Office visual inspectors to determine vehicles’ roadworthiness and exhaust emissions compliance “has failed and will continue to fail the public unless it is completely revamped”.
“The status quo of non-appearance/no-show practiced by fixers in collusion with PETCS, insurance companies, and the LTO District Offices themselves, has been so institutionalized that the very mentality of Filipinos is no longer that of safety, but one of misplaced ‘convenience’, unspeakable corruption, and worst of all, complete disregard of Filipino lives,” he said.
he added that consumers are better off paying the services of PMVICS versus PETCS, both of which charge around P600 for a vehicle evaluation.
“This means that those who patronize PETCS are better off going to PMVIC which can provide more comprehensive tests.”