The Vehicle Inspection Centers Operators Association of the Philippines or VICOAP expressed its dismay over the vilification of Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVICs) by some invited resource speakers during the recent Zoom public hearing of the subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Finance last October 26, 2021.
“It was unfortunate that representatives from our industry were not invited to the committee hearing to answer the accusations and lies hurled against PMVIC operators. The non-stop black propaganda not only undermines our duly accredited processes, it also impedes progress for road safety in the country as well,” said VICOAP Spokesperson Atty. Fudge Tajar.
Vice-Mayor Mannix Ortega of San Juan, La Union was invited as resource speaker in the budget hearing and said that roadworthiness machine testing of PMVICs is debatable.
“With all due respect to the vice-mayor, all testing equipment used in PMVICs have undergone regulatory procedures in the Philippines. These are the same machines that are also used in vehicle inspections facilities all over the world; in both developing and developed countries. Malicious presumptions, especially those made in official public venues such as Senate Sub-Committee Budget hearings, are akin to fake news peddling. We are not sure if he is merely trying to protect the interests of PETC owners,” Tajar said.
ATTY. FUDGE TAJAR, VICOAP Spokesperson
VICOAP shares the belief that Private Emission Testing Centers (PETC) have been at the center of corruption controversies for years as the well-known scheme of “No-shows” or “Non-Appearance” offered by fixers is rampant in PETCs. Through the fixers, inspection results are produced despite the vehicles not having undergone inspection.
“Aside from the quality of inspections, the PMVICs are also required to be linked to the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) a modern and centralized portal that ensures data cannot be manipulated. Likewise, the PMVICs are required to record and upload the videos of every single vehicle being inspected to the LTMS – yet another layer that ensures transparency and integrity in the process. Such measures are not present for PETCs, and that is why corruption continues to proliferate there,” she added.
VICOAP also belied the statement of another resource speaker, Ariel Lim, that PMVICs are only conducting emission testing similar to PETCs.
“That is a ridiculous claim since inspections at PMVICs are comprised of more than just emissions. The inspections include visual inspection of above and under-carriage, sideslip test for wheel alignment, suspension test, roller brake test, speedometer test, headlight test, exhaust noise level test, and finally, exhaust emission tests. There is absolutely no comparison,” the spokesperson said.
Tajar was also surprised that the resource speakers kept harping about PMVICs imposing high fees, when in fact, their rates have been set at Php 600 for light vehicles, 500 for motorcycles, and 300 for for-hire vehicles, per inspection (VAT exclusive). PETC inspection fees range from 400-500. The supposed added burden from these differences in fees are far outweighed by the benefits and quality of inspection that PMVICs offer.
The spokesperson added that, “It is high time that road safety standards in the country are elevated. The supposed convenience offered by fixers perpetuates the idea that proper vehicle inspection is not important. That dangerous notion has to stop and that is why PMVICs play a crucial role, because ours is the industry that sparks and encourages that shift towards a mentality of responsible vehicle ownership. Why impede that?”
