The House Committee on Transportation is set to conduct a probe into the numerous complaints regarding private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICs) spread across the country on February 10.

The House panel would hold the hearing to tackle Resolution No. 1518 authored by Deputy Speaker and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.

In his resolution, Rodriguez said the new PMVICs, which were to replace private emission testing centers, were supposed to check a vehicle’s compliance with standards not only on emission but on roadworthiness as well.

He said the Land Transportation Office (LTO) qualified and accredited at least 138 motor vehicle inspection facilities near its field offices throughout the country.

“However, there are already numerous reports of inconsistencies and anomalies regarding these private inspection centers,” he said.

He cited one reported complaint wherein a Pampanga businessman had his 2011 “well-maintained and well-preserved” BMW Z4 sports car with 7,000 kilometers on its odometer inspected, paid the PHP1,800 fee, and waited for three hours only to find out that it did not pass inspection because of “weak” breaks.

The owner brought his car to the BMW dealership, whose mechanics found no defects. He returned to the same PMVIC, paid a second PHP800 inspection fee and his car finally passed.

Rodriguez cited other complaints, such as the PMVIC breaking a Subaru Forester car’s differential after the center’s personnel treated it as a front-wheel-drive instead of an all-wheel-drive vehicle in conducting a speedometer test, and a 2017 Land Cruiser failing inspection for having an exhaust pipe that’s too loud with the inspection center recording the noise at 655.2 decibels, which is three times louder than the Krakatoa volcano explosion (202 decibels measured from three miles away).

“These complaints prove that PMVICs do not have people with enough training and knowledge, and the right and reliable equipment to do the task the LTO has assigned them, and for which service they are allowed to collect excessive fees from motor vehicle owners,” Rodriguez said.

He noted that some centers could possibly be intentionally failing certain vehicles to be tested a second time after payment of another fee.

Rodriguez urged the Department of Transportation and the LTO to suspend its new motor vehicle inspection program amid the coronavirus pandemic. (PNA)