ANGELES CITY—Protests against the Land Transportation Office-(LTO) accredited Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVIC) that started here has snowballed and appear to be gaining grounds in other parts of the country.
Actor-turned politician Mayor Richard Gomez of Ormoc City said he foresaw the problem coming as early as 2019.
He pointed out there are only four PMVICs in Region 8 comprising Catbalogan, Tacloban, Ormoc and Maasin. “But if you count the number of vehicles in the region, he said, there are more than a million vehicles including tricycles and motorcycles. So that means…traffic and chaos for Ormoc City,” he said.
“Aside from that, it’s very expensive,” he pointed out. “People complain and think it’s our program. That is the program of the DOTr [Department of Transportation] and the LTO and not the city,” he clarified.
“Problema talaga ang PMVIC na ’yan. I brought it before the League of Cities [of the Philippines] but it was not taken up because of Covid. I’m sure the other mayors involved in PMVIC are also having problems now,” he said.
In San Fernando City, La Union, a resolution suspending the operations of the PMVIC in the city was passed unanimously by its city council, the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), during its regular session on Tuesday.
The session was presided by San Fernando City Vice Mayor Alf Ortega and all the present members of the SP unanimously approved the passing of the resolution suspending the operation of the PMVIC.
The SP Committee on Transportation and Traffic Management met on Monday together with a representative from the LTO to address concerns and issues concerning the PMVIC, resulting in a proposed resolution suspending the operations of the PMVIC on the following grounds:
The inspection and re-inspection fees for motor vehicles set by the PMVICs add to the heavy burden already being experienced by everyone on account of the prevailing health emergency.
The PMVIC based in the city has violated Section 19 of the LTO Memorandum Circular 2018-2158, which provides that the complaints and feedback of customers should be monitored and analyzed, and the contents of the LTO’s Quality Management Procedure Manual should be observed in handling clients’ complaints related to the implementation of the motor vehicle inspection system (MVIS).
The General Welfare clause of Republic Act 7160 (Local Government Code) states that the concerned officials and personnel of the City Government need time to check and observe the facilities, operations and personnel of PMVIC to ensure that they are able and ready to efficiently deliver the service that owners of private vehicles deserve and pay for.
The preceding grounds served as basis for the unanimous decision of the legislative body to approve the said resolution.
Physically present in the session were Vice Mayor Ortega, and Councilors Arnel Almazan, Antonio Jucar, Rizaldy Laudencia, Ram Ortega, Luzan Ortega-Valero, John Orros, and Ramon “Monetski” Ortega.
Also present via Zoom were Councilors Ernesto Rafon, Quintin Balcita Jr., Mark Anthony Ducusin, Rudy Abat, and Janwell Pacio.
In Oriental Mindoro, Gov. Humerilito A. Dolor who is also the Vice President for Luzon South, League of Provinces of the Philippines, wrote a letter to Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante of the LTO, complaining of the exodus of private motor vehicles who trooped to the Calapan City LTO just to register their vehicles. He said some traveled more than a hundred kilometers just to go to the agency to register their vehicles.
This, he wrote, despite the presence of LTO extension offices in the towns of Pamalayan and Roxas.
“The exodus of private motor vehicle owners to LTO Calapan City has resulted to the drastic increase of the number of people and reduced social distancing in is vicinity,” he complained. He pointed out that for the entire province, three is only one accredited PMVIC.
He said “the mandatory implementation of the PMVIC is improperly timed.” He added that, “Oriental Mindoro is still under serious threat from Covid-19.”
The governor accused the LTO of increasing the risk of registrants to acquire Covid-19 by requiring all registrants to travel to one place to register their vehicles.
The governor appealed to Galvante to suspend the implementation of the PMVIC at least within the duration of the pandemic.
In October of 2020, the Land Transportation Office has started operations of PMVICs nationwide granted with authorization under Memorandum Circular 2020-2217 despite the raging pandemic.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza
6 comments
Dapat govt owned at masyadong mahal ang fee tapos pag inspect unit kasama driver or owner kasi yung car jockey hindi kabisado operate at produce muna ng lto yung replacement plate no kasi nagbayad ako ng 450 last 2015 pa up to now wala pa.
Ako din biktima ng plate scam na yan last 2015. PMVIC ng LTO is adding to high cost of vehicle registration. Only the rich can afford.
Car plates since 2015, wala pa Also, RFIDs at 450.00 wala pa rin
Dapat LTO AT DOTR magtulong para maimprove ang serbisyo nila hindi puro pera meron namang INSPECTOR ng unit lahat ng LTO branch bago magregister or magrenew eh anong gagawin nun last oct. Nagrenew ako ng van ko siningil ako cost of sticker tapos ngayon di na gagawa ng sticker.PMVIC should be operated by the govt.not private para mura ang cost.
Mga car jockey na maginspect ng unit hindi lahat familiar sa operation ng mga vehicle lalo na pag imported very seldom makakita ka ng driver na alam operate lahat ng klase ng sasakyan paano yung over 4500 ang gross weight lalo na mga 6,8,10,12wheeler kaya nila inspect?
And you are surprised ??? From some months LTO just passes more ways to milk motorists, and each of them more ridiculous than the former… Baby seats for 12 years old and below ? And where do you buy them ? Apart from Amazon, I don’t see where we can buy them here !!! The head of LTO daring to say that “just buy larger cars !” ? Can I remind you that we are middle of a freaking pandemy and that millions of filipinos have lost their jobs and incomes ??? And now this… But strangely, we still see most of run down jeepneys, wrecked tricycles and belching coaches driving happily around… How many times have I witnessed LTO employees set the fumes’ probe UNDER a jeepney’s exhaust ???