DOTC undersecretary Arturo Valdez and LTO chief Roberto Lastimoso clarified the stand of their respective departments before the Joint Senate and Congressional Oversight Committee chaired by senator Robert Jaworski last Wednesday, June 4, at Laurel Hall of the Philippine Senate. The Joint Committee was meeting on the implementation of the Republic Act 8749, otherwise known as the Clean Air Act (CAA), and wanted to clarify previous reports published in the newspapers that quoted DOTC secretary Leandro Mendoza as saying that "two-stroke motorcycles will be phased out". Lastimoso told the committee that he spoke with Mendoza after the publication of the report and that Mendoza denied issuing such a statement. The LTO chief said that he has told the media about Mendoza’s denial but the report didn’t come out as forcefully. He reiterated that the LTO will allow the registration of 2-stroke motorcycles as long as they comply with the CAA.
For his part, Art Valdez told the committee that the CAA doesn’t ban any technology (2-stroke, 4-stroke) as long as it meets the qualifying standards on exhaust emissions, which are set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The DOTC undersecretary clarified this position after Nerissa Soon-Ruiz, the congresswoman representing the 6th district of Cebu, questioned statements quoting the DOTC or the LTO that seem to arbitrarily endorse the 4-stroke technology. She added that newspaper reports have come out favoring the 4-stroke engines as lesser pollutants than the 2-stroke engines when studies show that the 4-stroke emits more carbon monoxide (CO) particles than the 2-stroke while the 2-stroke emits more hydrocarbons (HC) than the 4-stroke. She also reminded them to exercise accuracy when issuing statements since 1.7 million tricycle drivers and operators are affected by these issues.
Cebu City (North) congressman Raul del Mar reported that motorcycle dealers and manufacturers of 2-stroke motorcycles are likewise affected, and that these dealers have been complaining of poor sales because of the public’s confusion over the reported ban. He also stated that technical reports submitted to his office show that it was not the 2-stroke technology but the low-grade oils for 2-stroke engines (2T oil) that cause the excessive white smoke emitted by smoke-belching tricycles. He said that because of poor economic conditions, some unscrupulous drivers or operators put cheap low-grade oil into their engines to lower their maintenance costs and increase their income, but at the expense of the environment. He sternly warned that this practice should be stopped.
The Joint Committee meeting which started at 10:30 a.m. was suspended by senator Jaworski at 2:00 p.m. after he assured Ariel Lim, the president of the Tricycle Drivers and Operators (TODA) Association that there will be no phase out of 2-stroke motorcycles. He added that Lim can deliver the same assurance to the millions of tricycle drivers and their dependents since he got assurance in front of representatives from the DOTC, LTO, DENR and the chairmen of the House and Senate committees present during the meeting.