LTO denies singling out House members in protocol plates review

MANILA, Philippines – The beleaguered chief of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) yesterday assured Speaker Prospero Nograles that the review on protocol plates is not limited to members of the House of Representatives but will also include government officials from the vice-president down to regional trial court judges.

“The LTO is not singling out the members of Congress. The review will also include the special plates issued to Cabinet members, senators and other officials covered by EO 400,” Alberto Suansing told The STAR.

Suansing also clarified that the crackdown on imported second-hand vehicles is not directed at members of Congress but at owners of vehicles imported in 2006 and 2007 which were registered by the LTO, particularly at its regional offices in Cebu and Toledo city last year.

“We already have the list of the vehicles in our database. I have issued a directive not to renew the registration of these vehicles unless they get new clearance from the Bureau of Customs (BOC),” he said.

The LTO chief said he had already testified before the House committee on good government on the issue of imported second-hand vehicles and he never implicated members of Congress in smuggling activities.

Suansing said the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) has sought the help of the LTO in determining the owners of the suspected smuggled vehicles bearing the protocol 8 license plates that were seized in Makati last year.

Among those seized by PASG were four vehicles owned by a congressman from Bicol, while the others were not established because the protocol plates did not bear the congressional district where the plate was issued.

“That is why we are coordinating with the House of Representatives so that we can jointly come out with a new protocol plate to be issued to lawmakers,” Suansing said.

The implementation of the new protocol plates is in line with the development of major local technology that will be used to curb car smuggling and carnapping, as well as strengthen environment protection.

The LTO and BOC formally signed yesterday a memorandum of agreement on the implementation of the program at the LTO main office in Quezon City.

“This system will greatly reduce the potential for any kind of fraud in the importation and registration process for imported vehicles. It’s about time that we implement a system such as this,” said Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales.

Hi-tech approach

Suansing said the LTO-BOC Interconnectivity Project and the Radio Frequency Identification Project (RFID) will be fully implemented next year.

The LTO-BOC Interconnectivity Project known as the Certificate of Payment Authentication and Verification System (CPAVS) is the response of both agencies to the fight against luxury car smuggling.

Stradcom, LTO’s Information Technology partner, developed the new program.

Suansing said the LTO and BOC agreed that the best way to crack down on car smugglers is through the motor vehicles registration process.

He said the CPAVS enforces the LTO’s mandate under Republic Act 4136, known as the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, which states that imported cars will only be registered upon presentation of proof of payment of taxes and customs duties.

The LTO chief said under the CPAVS, the Customs Bureau will transmit the Certificate of Payment (CP) on a real time basis. Each CP will be tagged with a unique identification number to ensure there will be no duplication of engine and chassis numbers. 

Scanned copies of the CPs will be stored for physical verification.

He added that the LTO cannot make changes in the CP details since it will have view-only access. Each CP will be associated with a specific port of entry.

The CPAVS addresses concerns about graft and anomalies, particularly the aspect of human intervention in the submission of CPs. The system likewise ensures the authenticity of CPs and guarantees the proper assessment and collection of taxes for imported cars and parts.

The CPAVS, moreover, eradicates the problem of fake or duplicate CPs and streamlines operations to allow efficient and automated verification of CPs.

The LTO also introduced the RFID, a system where each registered vehicle will be issued a unique electronic signature which will contain information that validates the vehicle’s authenticity, and which can be used in enforcing compliance with safety and environmental regulations as well as in law enforcement.

The LTO said the RFID is an enhancement of the present motor vehicle registration system.

One immediate benefit of the RFID sticker is in emissions testing and roadworthiness inspection centers, where the vehicle must be physically present or the transaction will not proceed.

Suansing admits that one source of corruption is the “non-appearance” of vehicles at testing centers.

Another benefit is in law enforcement as police and traffic enforcers can be equipped with hand-held scanners to check on the vehicles’ registration.

The system will also help crack down on car thieves since police can immediately check the real owner of the car.