DOTr, LTO urged to suspend emission testing requirement for vehicle registration until year end

Cagayan De Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez is urging the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) to suspend until the end of the year the requirement of emission testing to shorten the process for the registration of motor vehicles amid the continued threat of COVID-19.

Rodriguez has filed House Resolution 1007 which calls on the House of Representatives to express its collective sense for the suspension of the emission testing requirement.

According to him, the recent easing of quarantines and travel restrictions has allowed many vehicle owners to have their vehicles registered, the process for which was halted when many government agencies suspended operations during the lockdown months.

However, the surge of motor vehicle registrations resulted "in very long lines and unusual delays in the process of registration, especially in emission testing centers," he said.

Rodriguez cited as an example his own district in Cagayan De Oro City, where registration applicants had to wait for four to five hours to get a number for an appointment for their emission test, which itself is at least two weeks away.

“It’s a lot of inconvenience on the part of motor vehicle owners, to say the least. These taxpayers deserve better service,” he stressed.

Rodriguez said that the long queues and delays cause violations in social distancing protocols among registrants and personnel of the LTO, which he feared could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

“To address this problem and to make registration easier for vehicle owners, the DoTr and the LTO should suspend the emission testing requirement until December 31, 2020,” he said.

This proposal, he added, would allow the two agencies to have more time “to look into numerous complaints and allegations impropriety against these privately-owned testing centers all over the country." —KG, GMA News