Davao solon presses for tighter controls on RHD vehicles

Rep. Prospero Nograles (Lakas, Davao City) sought yesterday stricter controls on the entry, conversion and auction of right-hand-drive (RHD) vehicles.

Nograles, a member of the House transportation commitment, said the government should set standards in the conversion of RHD vehicles to left-hand drive to protect buyers and the motoring public.

He said he has received complaints that some used cars purchased from auctioneers at the Subic Freeport were defective.

"We should bring together officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Land Transportation Office, the Bureau of Product Standards, and other concerned agencies so they can set conversion standards," he said.

He added that RHD vehicles should not be auctioned unless they are certified to be safe and complying with such standards.

Nograles has authored a resolution seeking a House inquiry into the entry here of right-hand-drive cars, sport utility vehicles, trucks, and heavy equipment.

Last weekend, he motored to Subic to see for himself the RHDs and witness the auction of such vehicles.

He said although the Office of the President, the Department of Justice and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel have ruled that the entry into Subic of these vehicles has legal basis, the issue is still debatable and could be argued one way or the other.

"But that issue is not important. What to me is more important is the contribution of this auction business to employment and to the economy," he said.

He said he noticed on his way to Subic that used car repair and trading shops have mushroomed along the San Fernando-Olongapo Road, an indication that the infant auction industry has provided employment and income opportunities to people.

It is also affording farm owners and the middle-class the chance to acquire trucks and other farm equipment, and utility vehicles, he added.

The Davao lawmaker revealed that many plantation owners and contractors in the Davao provinces and other parts of Mindanao have been buying light trucks and farm equipment from Subic auctioneers.

"I know of a banana farmer who has bought some pieces of back hoe and excavators that he and his workers use in uprooting his plants and trees. These are second-hand equipment brought in by the auctioneers from Japan, where farming is highly-mechanized," he said.

SBMA Chairman Felicito Payumo supported Nograles’ proposal for stricter controls on the entry, conversion and auction of RHD vehicles.