Press Release
February 3, 2021

POE FILES RESOLUTION SEEKING TO PROBE PMVIC ISSUES

Sen. Grace Poe called for an inquiry on the operations of Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVICs) where motorists now have to pay more than double their usual vehicle registration fees.

Poe filed Senate Resolution No. 634 to look into the implementation of Department Order 2018-019 by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Memorandum Circular No. 2018-2158 by the Land Transportation Office (LTO), and other related issuances.

"The intention behind the law is noble, but the fees following its implementation cannot come at a worse time in the middle of a pandemic where people are barely getting by and now have to add another item in their list of expenses," said Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services.

The LTO issued a memorandum circular back in 2018 authorizing PMVICs to collect an inspection fee of P1,800 from motor vehicles weighing 4,500 kilograms or less. If the vehicle fails the test, it will be required to undergo necessary repairs and taken back to the PMVIC where the motorist is charged an additional P900 reinspection fee to obtain clearance. On the other hand, motorcycles and tricycles are charged P600 for the inspection fee and P300 for the reinspection fee, if necessary.

"Isipin mo naman, pati mga naghahanap-buhay na mag-deliver at namamasada pipigaan pa natin ng pera. 'E 'di wala na silang naiuwi sa pamilya nila," Poe said.

The implementation of the Motor Vehicle Inspection System program to ensure the road worthiness of vehicles and prevent road accidents has been put in the back burner for more than 12 years. Before the program was rolled out, motorists only had to pay an average of P500 for the emission testing fee.

The new inspection procedure is allegedly more thorough as it uses advanced technology to check the car from the inside out, but this has also been accompanied with a number of complaints from motorists.

"It's hard to ignore the accounts from motorists who have experienced glitches in the PMVIC test results that incurred additional costs on their part for reinspection. The unreliability of the test results is problematic and burdensome, to say the least," Poe stressed.

Another issue is the absence of interconnectivity between the IT system used by the PMVICs and the LTO, which means vehicle owners have to pay for another testing in another testing center.

The DOTr is targeting to roll out a total of 138 PMVICs nationwide. The lack of transparency in the selection of the PMVICs elicited apprehension among concerned groups that the program has become a breeding ground for corruption.

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