THE LAND Transportation Office (LTO) on Thursday said the mandatory inspection of motor vehicles at private motor vehicle inspection centers or PMVICs remains suspended.
“Motor vehicle owners still have the option to have their vehicles tested for roadworthiness and compliance with the Clean Air Act either at a PMVIC or at a private emission testing center (PETC) with the required LTO visual inspection,” the agency said in a statement.
The agency also said that PMVICs are now charging the same amount of testing or inspection fee with that of PETCs to address earlier concerns over higher cost. They have also waived the reinspection or retest fees.
Citing LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar C. Galvante, the Transportation department said the agency issued the statement because “vehicle owners might have misinterpreted the LTO’s rollout of a new information technology system linking PMVICs with LTO offices with the aim of optimizing the agency’s motor vehicle inspection and registration system as a return of the mandatory vehicle inspections at the PMVICs.”
The new IT system also “aims to gather sufficient baseline data to assess the status of motor vehicles in the country in terms of roadworthiness and safety,” it added. — Arjay L. Balinbin