Poe: Probe additional fees imposed by DOTr-accredited vehicle inspection centers

A Senate inquiry on the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) planned roll out of 138 Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers nationwide has been sought by Senator Grace Poe due to the additional expenses that the policy imposed to motorists amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The intention behind the law is noble, but the fees following its implementation cannot come at a worse time in the middle of a pandemic where people are barely getting by and now have to add another item in their list of expenses,” said Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services in her Senate Resolution No. 634.

The senator cited the Land Transportation Office, which is under the DOTr, issued a memorandum circular back in 2018 authorizing the private inspection centers to collect an inspection fee of P1,800 from motor vehicles weighing 4,500 kilograms or less.

“If the vehicle fails the test, it will be required to undergo necessary repairs and taken back to the private inspection centers where the motorist is charged an additional P900 reinspection fee to obtain clearance. Motorcycles and tricycles are [also] charged P600 for the inspection fee and P300 for the reinspection fee," Poe explained.

"Isipin mo naman, pati mga naghahanapbuhay na mag-dedeliver at namamasada, pipigaan pa natin ng pera,” she said. "E ‘di wala na silang naiuwi sa pamilya nila."

Before the Motor Vehicle Inspection System program was rolled out, Poe said that the motorists only had to pay an average of P500 for the emission testing fee.

The new inspection procedure, however, is supposedly more thorough as it uses advanced technology to check the car from inside out.

Poe, however, said the new system gives more burden than comfort to motorists.

“It’s hard to ignore the accounts from motorists who have experienced glitches in the test results that incurred additional costs on their part for reinspection. The unreliability of the test results is problematic and burdensome, to say the least,” she said.

“The absence of interconnectivity between the IT system used by the private inspectors and the LTO which results in vehicle owners having to pay for another testing in another testing center is another issue that needs to be addressed,” Poe added.—LDF, GMA News