Council wants emission testing centers checked

Saying there are still vehicles that emit black smoke, the Cebu City Council has requested the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 to inspect all accredited private emission testing centers.

In an approved resolution, Councilor Joel Garganera said that the two agencies should ensure that the operation of these testing centers comply with government standards.

“One of the major air pollutant sources are the mobiles and vehicles that emit smoke, which contributes to the formation of greenhouses gases, a culprit in global warming that leads to climate change, which is dangerous to our health and may trigger asthma and other respiratory diseases,” Garganera said in his resolution.

LTO requires that every vehicle must pass the emission test conducted by an accredited smoke emission testing center before a vehicle can be registered.

It is also the responsibility of CCTO to apprehend smoke belchers or those whose vehicles emit excessive fumes of smoke.

Aside from the regulations of LTO, the City Government has also provided its own standards for smoke emission policies through City Ordinance No. 2111, or the Ordinance Providing for Vehicle Emission Policies, Providing Penalties and Other Purposes.

Corruption

Despite the regulations and the presence of accredited smoke emission testing centers, though, Garganera said there are still public vehicles like jeepneys and buses and even private vehicles that are still emitting excessive dark smoke, which is a hazard to the environment and the public.

The councilor said that the smoke emission testing centers have provided another way to commit graft and corruption by providing another means to circumvent environmental laws and city ordinances.

“Some smoke emission testing centers are unreliable and lenient on the imposition of the standards set forth by the law because some operators can always adjust the smoke emission capacity of their vehicles to pass the test and just read it once it is done,” Garganera said. /