City dads urge LTO to shelve PMVIC plan

The Iloilo City Council yesterday urged the Land Transportation Office to set aside the implementation here of the Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center program citing economic reasons as well difficulties expected to be encountered by the motoring sector.

In a resolution following a privileged speech by Majority Floor Leader Rommel Duron, the city council also asked for a dialog with LTO officials to further clarify the wisdom and necessity, if any, of the PMVIC plan.

In his speech, Duron questioned the operational viability of the PMVIC in Iloilo, noting that there are some 145,000 registered vehicles in the province. If the plan pushes through, “car owners will spend a significant amount of time and shell out a substantial sum to pay for the motor vehicle inspection. Not only that, the inspection process itself has been plagued with serious problems as already experienced by motorists in other parts of the country where the PMVICs have begun to operate,” Duron pointed out.

Under the LTO plan, all vehicles that are applying for the annual renewal of registrations must first undergo testing from the PMVICs the will be established all over the country. Two will be put up in Iloilo City and another one in Passi City. Duron said this may not be enough to cater to the growing number of vehicles in Iloilo.

Likewise, Duron foresees that over ninety percent (90%) of the jeepneys in Iloilo will be unable to pass the PMVIC. This will further cripple our transport industry which is already reeling from the effects of the pandemic, Duron stressed.

Duron said if road safety is the objective, the LTO should rather concentrate on driver education and discipline, Duron said. He pointed out that most cases of vehicular accidents can be attributed to human error rather than mechanical malfunction. Statistics show that the top cases of accidents are caused by over speeding, driving under the influence of liquor and drugs, bad overtaking, illegal turning and even jaywalking, Duron added.

During the interpellation period, Councilors Ely Estante Jr. said the LTO should go slow in putting an added burden to the populace especially during this time of the pandemic while Councilor Ed Penaredondo went to the extent of describing the LTO move as economic sabotage. (LSC)