While not mandatory, LTO chief urges motorists to have their vehicles checked by PMVICs

On the heels of President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision not to make private motor vehicle inspection mandatory, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is urging motorists to have their vehicles checked by PMVICs to ensure road worthiness and safety of the motoring public.

At a virtual press briefing on Thursday, LTO chief Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante said that the agency will comply with the President’s order.

Galvante’s comment came after presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced that Duterte said that having vehicles inspected by private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICs) prior to registration with the LTO is no longer mandatory.

“Samantala, hindi na po mandatory ang MVIS. Ibig sabihin, kinakailangan wala pong bagong singil, walang karagdagang singil sa pagpaparehistro ng mga sasakyan," Roque said.

With this, Galvante said motorists can choose whether they want their vehicles inspected by Private Emission Testing Centers (PETCs) or PMVICs, which now offer the same fees.

This was echoed by Transportation Assistant Secretary Giovanni Lopez, saying that “ang mga motorista, pwedeng pumunta sa PETCs at PMVICs para sa pagpaparehistro ng sasakyan.”

The Vehicle Inspection Center Operators Association of the Philippines (VICOAP) agreed with the call of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade as well as lawmakers to make their fees at par with PETCs.

This means from their current fee of P1,500 to P1,800 for roadworthiness inspection of light vehicles, it will now go down to P600.

Meanwhile, the inspection fee for motorcycles will be P500 and for jeepneys will be P300.

At the same time, PMVICs also agreed not to collect re-inspection fees for one year.

Under LTO's Memorandum Circular 2018-2158, private inspection centers are to collect inspection fees of P1,800 from motor vehicles weighing 4,500 kilograms or less. If a vehicle fails, it will be required to undergo necessary repairs and retested for a P900 reinspection fee.

Galvante, however, urged motorists to avail the services of PMVICs since they conduct a complete “checkup” of a vehicle’s roadworthiness.

“Ang PETC, hindi naman sa binabalewala o sinasabi na inferior... ang PETC ang iniinspect ay emission lang. Samantalang ang MVIC ang chine-check nito ang buong performance ng sasakyan... Kaya ang pakiusap sa motorista para malaman na safe ang sasakyan i-submit nila itong, total check up ika nga,” he said.

Unlike undergoing smoke emission testing only at PETCs, vehicles being inspected at a PMVICs undergo an automated three stage system that checks for roadworthiness in 73 inspection points.

For his part, VICOAP president Iñigo Larrazabal said: “We acknowledge MVICs are not mandated for vehicle registration, but our work goes beyond compliance, regulation. This is about saving lives.”

Larrazabal also said that PMVICs agreed “to operate at a loss and lower our fees” to help ease the financial burden of Filipinos amid the pandemic.

Galvante said that while the LTO has no means to give monetary aid to affected PMVICs, he said the agency will discuss with stakeholders how the government can help lessen their losses due to lower fees.

But the VICOAP president said PMVICs will “not be seeking a single peso from this government. We know how deeply stressed it is financially, too.”

“This is our moral obligation to make sure that our vehicles are safe not just for our families, but that we don’t pose a threat to others on the road,” Larrazabal said.

According to the Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System (MMARAS), in 2019, a total of 121,771 road crashes were recorded in Metro Manila. An average of 334 road crashes were also recorded daily. Of this, 372 people have died, while 20,466 were hurt. — RSJ, GMA News