RECOGNIZING that the operability of trucks does not rest on their age, officials from the transportation department said on Wednesday that the agency is setting up motor vehicle inspection system (MVIS) centers to determine the roadworthiness of units for the renewal of their franchises.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Martin B. Delgra III said the LTFRB has issued a memo that spells out the rules for phasing out trucks, amending a policy on age and shifting it to the roadworthiness of units.
“We will be veering away from the vehicle age policy and moving toward a roadworthiness policy in determining the roadworthiness of public-utility vehicles like trucks,” he said at a press briefing on Wednesday. “We will put up motor vehicle inspection system centers to determine the roadworthiness of trucks.”
The scuttling of the year-model policy for phasing out trucks had been deemed arbitrary by truckers, and an independent alliance of at least seven groups cited it among their key grievances for mounting this week’s “truck holiday” that further tied up the flow of commerce to and from Manila’s ports.
Under the new LTFRB memo, trucks that are 15 years old or older cannot renew their franchises, but will be allowed to file for renewal once the MVIS centers certifiy their roadworthiness.
Transportation Assistant Secretary March Richmund M. de Leon said the department is jump-starting the process for the accreditation of private-run MVIS centers, which will number about 200 centers.
“We have signed a department order authorizing private-sector companies and agencies to run motor vehicle inspection units, for now; we are drafting the implementing rules and regulations accrediting these private companies to run these facilities,” he said.
This should be available in the next six months, de Leon added.
He said his group will also start the procurement of MVIS centers across the Philippines, to be operated by the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
“We are also procuring 26 motor vehicle inspection units, which will be government-run,” he said.
Both officials were responding to the current truck-holiday protest held by the Customs Brokers Truckers Alliance. It will run until November 24.
Besides the age-limit policy on trucks, the seven-group alliance was protesting the supposed congestion in the two Manila ports due to empty containers being parked inside the compound, which results in losses for them.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes