The government made the right call in adding 200 more Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVICs) to its current pool, according to the Vehicle Inspection Center Operators Association of the Philippines (VICOAP), as this will help the industry accommodate the nationwide demand for inspection centers in light of the policy for road safety.
Inigo Larrazabal, the president of VICOAP, said his group fully supports the expansion of the program, as this will help the Philippines inch towards its catch-up plan for road safety through PMVICs.
“Compared to other countries, we are at the tail-end. But the good thing is we can catch up by starting the operations already of our PMVICs as soon as possible,” he said.
In the Senate, however, Senator Ralph Recto has filed a resolution urging the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) to “suspend the operation PMVICs until a comprehensive public consultation is conducted.”
In his Senate Resolution 638, Recto said the suspension will be imposed “with the end in view of promoting transparency to stakeholders and the public, forging programs with social acceptability and ensuring public safety.”
Currently, the DOTr has identified 138 sites for PMVICs across the country. Of that number, 115 sites have been awarded, but only 24 have started their operations.
Larrazabal explained that this was because companies received their notices of award “at different periods.”
“The 138 centers will not be able to sufficiently cover the entire country. DOTr agreed to add 200 more, bringing this number to close to 400, which will be more than enough to cover the entire country,” Larrazabal noted.
Under a memorandum circular issued in November 2020, the DOTr and the LTO added 209 new locations for PMVICs. The government is currently accepting applications for the said locations.
“Inspection is a standard all around the world,” Larrazabal said. “We really need this because it saves lives.”
He said annually, almost 12,000 Filipinos lose their lives due to road accidents, of which the second leading cause is mechanical failure. By having vehicles inspected, Larrazabal said death and injury caused by faulty mechanics may be prevented.
With Butch Fernandez
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