THE Vehicle Inspection Center Operators Association of the Philippines Inc. (Vicoap) assured the public on Sunday that it puts a premium on transparency and accountability, saying that all its members adhere to government rules on compliance and proper accreditation.
Sunday saw the group issuing a statement “to shed light on some concerns raised” regarding the accreditation process for Vicoap members to operate as private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVIC).
“Our compliance with government rules, regulations, policies, and procedures, particularly the Facebook Live proceedings, started and have continued from the very first day we heeded our national leaders’ call to improve road safety in the country, and we did so without hesitation,” the statement read.
It added that it has also “wholeheartedly welcomed” procedures like drawing lots and coin tosses in the award of accreditation as a “matter of fairness and equal opportunity.”
“As far as launching and establishing the PMVICs, all of us in Vicoap have followed and obeyed every requirement and submitted the necessary documents to be given the authority and trust to conduct the road safety test rules on every vehicle who came to us,” the statement read.
The group added that all 80 members have submitted to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) all documents required for the accreditation, including the following: the names of the owners and their board members, Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or registration numbers in the Department of Trade and Industry, and the dates of incorporation/registration, among others.
“Should additional documents or further clarification be required of us, we will promptly submit or answer these,” the statement read.
The Senate is calling for the investigation and inquiry of the PMVICs, with one senator calling the new process for evaluating vehicles “problematic and burdensome.”
“Transparency through technology is a key pillar of Vicoap and it is one of the principles upon which we exercise the mandate given to us. Beyond the diagnostic element of our mandate, Vicoap also believes that it is through full and radical transparency that we can demonstrate not only our commitment to ensuring road worthiness, but also our commitment to serving the people, thereby earning their full trust and confidence,” the statement read.
Vicoap said its members currently operate at a loss, after they agreed to lower their fees from as much as P1,800 to as low as P300, or similar to the charge of private emission testing centers.
“Public service and road safety were the reasons why we recently lowered our testing fees and waived our retesting fees, in response to government requests as well as the clamor of a people struggling financially because of the pandemic. Again for those reasons, we welcome any other opportunity to collaborate with the government and its agencies to realize our joint vision for the country,” the group said.
PMVICs are established to evaluate the roadworthiness of vehicles that ply the country’s roads. They go beyond the checking of emissions by assessing more than 70 components of vehicles.