Motorist options: PMVIC or emission centers for testing

MANILA, Philippines — Motorists will not be forced to have their vehicles inspected before registration in the new and controversial private centers pushed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO), at least until further notice.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade yesterday gave the assurance during deliberations on the proposed budget of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for 2022 by the Senate subcommittee on finance chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, where the issue of private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICs) was raised.

Tugade said motor vehicle owners can choose to have their units inspected by either PMVICs or the old private emission testing centers (PETCs) as they charge nearly the same prices.

“I have already instructed the LTO and the LTFRB insofar as PMVICs and PETCs are concerned to make them co-exist. We still don’t have economies of scale or the critical mass,” he said.

He was referring to the lack of PMVICs, with only 72 for the entire country compared to over 800 PETCs, causing long lines and hundreds of motorists or sometimes a wait of two days to have their vehicles inspected.

There are many provinces that have only one PMVIC, causing congestion and risking COVID-19 infections. Some provinces reportedly share only one PMVIC.

The public uproar over the PMVICs started a few years back when the LTO and the LTFRB mandated that all motor vehicles must be subjected to extensive roadworthiness and safety examinations in these centers.

While the objective was sound, motorists and lawmakers suspected that the requirement, which was suddenly imposed, was driven by corruption as the bidding for PMVIC licenses was allegedly not transparent and some centers had ties with LTFRB and LTO officials and advance information on the requirements.

Tugade said while the cost of having vehicles inspected by PETCs or PMVICs is generally the same, the tests for the latter are more extensive and modern.

He said the mandatory inspections by PMVICs are suspended until there are enough to cater to the market.

During the hearing, Poe called out the LTO for failing to issue a formal memorandum that inspection by PMVICs will remain optional and not mandatory, resulting in confusion and chaos among motorists in various regions.