DOTC upholds LTO's direct system connection project

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has upheld the implementation of the direct connection facility project of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

In a memorandum order issued recently, DOTC Secretary Jose de Jesus gave the LTO’s direct connect facility project an “interim period” of six months of pilot implementation wherein the more than 600 private emission testing centers (PETCs) in the country can use the facility if they choose to do so.

The project allows PETCs to connect directly to the LTO system in uploading photographs of all smoke emission tests they conduct on vehicles prior to the renewal of their registration with the LTO. The project is managed by LTO computerization contractor Stradcom Corp.

Without the project, PETCs are only allowed to choose from among four PETC information technology providers Cyberlink, Eurolink, ETC IT, and RDMS to provide them connectivity to allow the online “real-time” upload of the photographs taken of all car smoke emission tests.

Alagaan Natin ang Inang Kalikasan (Anikalikasan) a nationwide group of PETCs, hailed De Jesus’ ruling on the project, which they said resolved the impasse on the connectivity issue for the vehicle emission testing process.

“DOTC... has done the best thing for the PETCs all over the country and more importantly the best thing for the environment. It has allowed us to choose which provider will best service our needs and has also instituted strict standards to ensure that emission standards for motor vehicles are strictly enforced,” Anikalikasan said in a statement.

With the ruling, the DOTC has created a level playing field that will allow the market to work and allow for the best systems to serve the millions of motorists nationwide, the group said.

De Jesus’ order also prescribed certain standards that will make the emission testing system more secure and credible, Anikalikasan said. 

The order also reduced by at least 10 percent the fees currently collected by PETC IT providers. 

Anikalikasan recently questioned the P80 fee charged by the four PETC IT providers while Stradcom charged only P60 for the uploading of photographs.