The Department of Transportation has shelved the implementation of the mandatory private motor vehicle inspection center (PMVIC) testing in the face of a shoddy rollout and stiff opposition from stakeholders.
The Motor Vehicle Inspection System is a program of the Land Transportation Office and its mother agency DOTr aimed at using machines to check vehicles more intently than current systems in an effort to determine the road worthiness of both private and public vehicles. The initiative is aimed at improving road safety in the country as majority of crashes are believed to be caused by poorly maintained vehicles.
With the MVIS , various components of the vehicle – from the transmission, chassis frame, engine, differential, bolts, wirings, bushings, and even the condition of the windshield, wipers and lights; are checked by an automated system. If enforced, the system is seen to usher in a more rigid format of checking vehicles with minimal person to person interaction.
Testing conducted by PMVIC will subject a motor vehicle to a 72 point checklist including smoke emission before qualifying for registration.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said better standards are needed to check the roadworthiness of vehicles in order to keep our roads safe. This is the principal reason why the DOTr is continuously advocating the inspection of motor vehicles.
Aside from the opposition, including those from senators, there are still too few testing centers, even in geographic areas of responsibility, resulting in confusion and motorists needing to wait in long lines whilst a pandemic remains raging out of control.
A more rigid motor vehicle inspection process may be necessary in a country where many of the poorly maintained vehicles that still prowl the road negatively impact road safety. But until the testing centers are ready, the pricing regulated, and opportunities for loopholes and corruption are eliminated, the campaign for improved roadworthiness of Filipino motor vehicles may have to take a break, so preparations for a more successful implementation where all valid concerns of stakeholders are properly addressed.*
