Senate panel wants motor vehicle inspection system junked

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate public services committee on Tuesday recommended the junking of all issuances from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) delegating the motor vehicle inspection system (MVIS) to private operators, calling the policy “half-baked” and “flawed.”

The panel chaired by Sen. Grace Poe also called for further investigation by the Senate blue ribbon committee into what it described as “highly anomalous transactions” surrounding the accreditation of private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICs) and the officials involved.

Last week, Malacañang announced that the MVIS system was now optional, meaning no additional fees would be shouldered by motorists renewing their car registration.

But the Senate panel sought the outright revocation of the MVIS policy.

“In the meantime, the repeal of DOTr Department Order 2018-19 and all related issuances is recommended,” it said in Committee Report No. 184.

It also identified several problems with the privatization of the MVIS, including the lack of consultation and transparency, glitches in the system and incompatibility with the IT infrastructure of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

“While fees have been lowered for now and testing seems to have been made optional, the implementation of this flawed program must be stopped definitively pending the resolution of issues hounding it,” it said.

At the same time, the committee urged the Senate blue ribbon panel chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon to look into the selection and accreditation of PMVICs.