MANILA, Philippines - The government may no longer come out with the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the Motor Vehicle Development Plan (MVDP) given all the pressure that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) specifically the Board of Investments (BOI) is receiving.
A ranking government official said the DTI is already receiving a number of inquiries both from industry players and senators for the IRR. The official said that it is possible that an IRR may no longer be issued.
Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo has already admitted that the importation of second hand vehicles is one of the areas they are having trouble with in the IRR.
In a separate interview, BOI managing head Cristino L. Panlilio admitted they are having trouble with the IRR but denied that they will no longer come out with one. Instead, he said that they might come out with different IRRs for different subsections. The subsectors are automobiles, motorcycles, trucks and e-cars and Philippine Utility Vehicles (Phuv).
Panlilio said that they might be able to come out with the IRR for the motorcycle and its parts in two weeks time because it is not “contentious.”
“The auto and the truck may take some time,” Panlilio conceded.
For his part, Domingo said he has not yet approved the IRR and thus it is still not ready to be presented in a public hearing. A public hearing is needed before the IRR can be implemented.
The IRR should have been completed back in August. However, the approval of the secretary is needed before it can be discussed in a public hearing. Domingo said it is likely that the IRR will be approved after he gets back from Japan. Domingo is scheduled to leave for Japan on Wednesday.
Domingo admitted that one of the issues that is being closely reviewed is the importation of second hand vehicles. Earlier, an official who refused to be named said that four senators have already called the BOI because they are worried that the new MVDP will not allow the importation of second hand imported vehicles.