A known business leader from Pampanga is pushing for an investigation on alleged questionable testing procedures and overcharging by private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVIC) after his vehicle failed the roadworthiness test.
Rene Romero, 68, is the former president of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and an active member of several car clubs. On January 11, his driver brought his 2011 BMW Z4 to QWIK Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center as part of its registration renewal process with the Land Transportation Office (LTO). Romero, a certified car nut, claims his Z4 is casa-maintained and well-preserved after logging some 7,000km. While mounting a new set of tires, Romero also checked the Z4’s underchassis to make sure that it’s in good condition prior to undergoing the new Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS) testing procedure.
After paying the P1,800 for the testing fee, his driver was handed a queue number (#85) at the facility around 9am in the morning. It took three hours before technicians started the roadworthiness inspection on the Z4.
“Nagulat na lang ako when my driver called me, telling me that my car failed in the testing procedure,” Romero related.
Disappointed, he immediately took his car to the BMW dealership in San Fernando, Pampanga, to check on the brake system. But after a thorough inspection, the BMW mechanics did not find anything amiss.
Romero kept a copy of the inspection result from the BMW dealership. He was able to return to QWIK on January 15 to have his Z4 re-inspected, which cost him another P900. This time, he said, it was the facility’s manager who drove the vehicle to the inspection bay. It got a passing mark.
Romero then tried talking to the management of QWIK about the inconsistency in the testing process, to no avail. When he started posting about his experience on social media, similar stories from other motorists poured in.
“Kawawa naman yung ibang motorista na isang kahig, isang tuka. Mawawala [na] parang bula ang kanilang pera dahil lang sa palpak sa sistema,” says Romero. “Nagdusa na nga sa haba ng pila sa testing center, tapos babagsak pa sa evaluation na hindi nila maipaliwanag kung bakit ganun ang nangyari. Dapat na maituwid natin ito.”
Nevertheless, Romero emphasized that he respects the government’s policy to rid the streets of unsafe vehicles by checking for roadworthiness. He is currently collating statements and documents from other motorists, mostly from Pampanga, in a bid to open an investigation on the issue.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopBikes.ph. Minor edits have been made.
