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Manila, Philippines – The Senate Public Services Committee said Tuesday it recommended repeal of the department’s order and all emissions related to the delegation of the motor vehicle inspection system (MVIS) to private operators.
The panel, headed by Senator Grace Poe, said in its Committee Report No. 184 that the implementation of MVIS is “flawed” and that the policy is “half-done.”
“In the meantime, the repeal of DOTr DO (Department Order) 2018-19 and all related emissions is recommended,” the report reads.
“While rates have been lowered for now and testing appears to have been made optional, the implementation of this flawed program must be permanently stopped pending resolution of the problems that beset it,” he added.
The committee cited several concerns about MVIS implementation in its report.
These include issues over the legality of the MVIS privatization, lack of consultation and transparency in accreditation, inadequate number of operational inspection centers, system failures, and the general incompatibility of private motor vehicle inspection systems. with the Land Transportation Office (LTO). Informatics and landscape of motor vehicles in the country.
The panel said these issues remain unsolved without decisive action from the Department.
In addition, it recommended that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee conduct an investigation into the “highly anomalous transactions” surrounding the accreditation of private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVIC) and the officials involved.
“The questionable emissions appear to have created a favorable environment for an oligopoly in which only a few players can enter and succeed,” the report states.
“The inexplicable dark moments during the evaluation process and the lack of transparency in the eventual accreditation of the winning service providers carry badges of fraud that must be further investigated by the appropriate committee,” he added.
Likewise, the panel noted in its report that the absence of a clear definition of fitness for circulation, along with the flaws identified in the inspection standards, “almost guarantees that there will be errors in the test results.”
“[N]Not only that this could lead to corruption, some also believe that it is intended to facilitate the phase-out of older vehicles without due process, ”he added.
The report also emphasized that while “the policy of ensuring that only roadworthy vehicles travel on our roads is commendable, a half-baked policy is bad policy.”
Poe previously asked DOTr and LTO to submit the names of the companies and incorporators of the accredited PMVICs.
The committee’s report said that 12 of 24 of them do not have enough capitalization to fund an expensive inspection center that costs more than P50 million, and another eight registered as sole proprietorships do not contain information on their financial situation.
He also noted that with only 24 PMVICs currently in operation out of the 458 originally selected by the LTO, the unclear, non-mandatory status of the MVIS only creates further confusion for motorists.
President Rodrigo Duterte previously said that MVIS will no longer be mandatory due to criticism in its implementation.
The Department of Transportation also announced that PMVIC testing fees were reduced from P1,500 to P600 for private vehicles and from P600 to P500 for motorcycles. The fare for utility jeepneys, on the other hand, will remain at P300.
