LTO eyes lowering fees for motor vehicle inspection

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Tuesday said they are looking into the possibility of lowering the fees for motor vehicle inspections in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the people's finances.

LTO chief Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante made the remark during the Senate hearing on the issues involving private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICs).

Galvante in November 2018 issued LTO Memorandum Circular (MC) 2018-2158, which laid out the guidelines authorizing PMVICs.

Section 17 of the MC states that for every motor vehicle inspected at a PMVIC, a fee shall be collected—P1,800 for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 4,500 kilograms or lower.

Motorcycle and tricycle owners will have to pay inspection fee of P600.00.

If a vehicle fails the inspection phase, the PMVIC will charge a “re-inspection fee” of P900 for vehicles with a GVW of 4,500 kgs, and P300 for motorcycles and tricycles.

Senator Grace Poe, who led the hearing, earlier said the new LTO memorandum did not go through public consultation.

But Galvante, during the Senate hearing, said they conducted a public hearing to determine the amount to be paid for the motor vehicle inspection.

He said the fee was initially pegged between P1,000 and P2,500, but it was eventually set between P1,500 and P1,800.

But considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are considering further lowering the fees.

“Alam natin ngayon inabutan tayo ng pandemya kaya ang pinag-uusapan ay kung puwede pa ibaba yung fee ng inspection. Hindi naman ibig sabihin na yung sinabi naming presyo, hindi naman pinag-uutos na hindi sila pwedeng magbaba. Kumbaga, parang naging reference price lang yun,” Galvante said.

“In fact, in our discussion with the owners of MVICs, sina-suggest namin kung pwedeng ibaba pa, considering sa panahon ngayon medyo mahirap kitain ang halagang yun,” he added.

Inspection fees

Iñigo Larrazabal, president of the Vehicle Inspection Center Owners Association of the Philippines, said the inspection fees were based on the guidelines issued to them.

“Before that, when we were invited back in 2018 to invest in this program, it was actually published at P1,800 and P600. Nung nakapag-invest na kami, nagbago ang presyo, actually binabaan,” he added.

But Poe criticized the timing of the implementation of the PMVICs amid the pandemic.

“We are still in the middle of a pandemic with no definite end in sight. Hindi ba puwedeng time-out muna habang nasa gitna pa tayo ng pandemya?” she said.

She also slammed the “prohibitive” costs involved in the system.

“Mula sa P500 noon na emission testing fee, naging P1,500 o triple ang iminahal ngayon ng inspection fee. Dagdag pa ito sa mismong registration fee na maaaring umabot ng higit pa sa P3,000. Para sa isang sistema na napakarami pang problema, masasabi ba nating makatwiran ang mga bayaring ito?” she added.

The government is privatizing motor vehicle inspection through PMVICs, with the LTO is eyeing 138 PMVICs nationwide, with a total of 276 lanes for light vehicles and 276 lanes for motorcycles. — RSJ, GMA News