Amid the mounting complaints and protests of motorists, Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Edgar Galvante has finally come out in the open to address the issues surrounding the new Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS).
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Galvante first tackled the P1,800 testing fee being charged by private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICs) for privately owned vehicles. “Dapat din tingnan natin ang mga ginamit na equipment sa testing. Hindi naman mura yan. Reasonable na yan para sa mga nag-finance, nag-put-up [ng PMVICs] para makabawi sila sa investment,” he explained. He added the return of investment takes between 2.5 and three years.
In the event that a vehicle undergoing testing fails the safety inspection process, motorists have the option to undergo the process again for an additional fee of P900. The testing fee for private motorcycles, meanwhile, is P600, while the re-inspection charge is P300. The LTO chief added that when the establishment of PMVICs was first approved in 2007, the proponents of the program agreed on a testing rate of P1,500.
Galvante gave motorists a little ray of hope regarding the fees: “Puwede pa naman ibaba yan, depende sa mga may-ari ng PMVIC. Kung maibaba yan, mas mabuti.”
Regarding reports of technical glitches in the MVIS testing procedure and inconsistencies with results, Galvante assured that the agency is addressing motorists’ complaints. “Pinag-explain namin [ang PMVICs], pagkatapos noong ikinorek nila, wala naman daw idinagdag na bayad (retake fee),” he said.
Galvante explained that the government has no choice but to implement the MVIS given the increasing number of accidents in the country caused mainly by poorly maintained vehicles. He also revealed that the initial target of 138 PMVICs nationwide might increase in the future to accommodate the large number of vehicles in the country.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopBikes.ph. Minor edits have been made.
