BOI sets public hearings on rules for car program

MANILA, Philippines - After months of delay, the Board of Investments (BOI) will hold a public hearing on the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Motor Vehicle Development Plan (MVDP) next month.

However, the IRR will be limited to motorcycles and the importation of second hand vehicles only because those two things are less controversial than the auto manufacturing component.

In an interview with reporters, BOI Executive Director Efren V. Leano said that they will hold the public hearing during the early part of March.

Leano said that the law on motorcycles and the second hand importation did not have any major revision.

“We just reiterated that safety must be foremost. There is absolutely no entry of right hand drive vehicles,” Leano said.

Unfortunately, Leano said that the implementation of this law falls under the Customs and he Land Transportation Office so the BOI has no say on the matter.

The BOI has backtracked on their initial position of not allowing converted left hand vehicles in the country.

In a separate interview, BOI managing head Cristino L. Panlilio said that they have abandoned initial plans of restricting the entry of second hand vehicles to those that are originally left hand drive and not those that were converted.

“We are just complying with the law because the law does not state that the vehicles must be originally left hand drive. We cannot add to the law,” Panlilio explained.

When asked who will monitor the road worthiness of the converted vehicles, Panlilio said that it will be a joint effort with the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC). “We will try our best to have stringent checking.”

It has been suggested that some major road accidents have been caused by converted vehicles. With this matter resolved, Panlilio said they remain unsure when the implementing rules and regulations for the importation of second hand vehicle will be released.