LTO-deputized private firms to make P15 billion annually – Recto

MANILA, Philippines — The many new fees imposed by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) are creating a “lucrative downstream industry as a result of their privatized implementation,” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said yesterday.

Recto warned that the Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS) creates an P8-billion annual industry for private inspection firms, while mandatory enrollment in driving schools has the potential of earning P7.5 billion a year for their owners.

“That’s just two (fees) out of many. It is unfair and premature to call these ‘money heist’ ventures, because as I have said, the objectives are laudable, but the implementation is far from lovable,” Recto said.

Recto said Republic Act 10930 cited by LTO’s Memorandum Circular 2019-2176 – making mandatory the submission of driving school certificate – does not call for enrolling in private driving academies.

“There is no explicit provision authorizing the LTO to impose the driving school diploma rule. This is a case of an overreach,” Recto added. What is important, he said, is that an applicant passes the driving test without cheating.

Recto filed Senate Resolution 638 that seeks to suspend the operation of private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers nationwide until comprehensive public consultation has been conducted.

Safe child seats

Meanwhile, EcoWaste Coalition urged government agencies enforcing Republic Act 11229, or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act, to assure that children’s car seats do not pose chemical hazards to their highly vulnerable users.

“Some car seats intended to keep young passengers safe while driving may contain toxic chemical additives that they can inhale, ingest or absorb through the skin. We ask the authorities to ensure that chemicals used in the manufacturing of children’s car seats have undergone toxicological assessment and are proven safe for human health and the environment,” said EcoWaste Coalition chemical safety campaigner Thony Dizon.

In a privilege speech yesterday, Senate President Vicente Sotto III hit LTO officials and some commenters on social media for misinterpreting RA 11229. Sotto said the age and height are to be taken into account together – not separately – in determining whether or not a child requires a special car seat. – Rhodina Villanueva