End of the road for 798 smoke belchers

A total of 798 vehicles, mostly public utility buses (PUBs), were recommended by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for suspension of their registration due to repeated smoke belching violations.

Based on MMDA records, the vehicles were marked for repeated violations within the period of April 2001 to July 31, 2002.

The MMDA has transmitted its list to the Land Transportation Office (LTO), 685 of which are PUBs plying the EDSA route. Others include 90 utility vehicles, 18 public utility jeepneys, four FX taxis and one truck.

Ramon Santiago, head of the MMDA Anti-Smoke Belching Task Force, said yesterday those in the list are vehicles that were apprehended three or more times in a period of one year.

Under the law, the first apprehension results in a fine of P1,000, for the second violation, P3,000 and for the third violation, P5,000 plus the automatic suspension of the registration of the concerned vehicle.

According to Santiago, several vehicles included in the list continue to move around in the metropolis.

Under the procedures of the anti-smoke belching teams, a vehicle that fails to pass the emission test is issued a citation and its license plate is removed. The owner of the vehicle is then required to fix the defective vehicle before undergoing another emission test at the LTO head office on East Avenue in Quezon City.

Only after the vehicle has passed the emission test will the license plate be returned to the owner.

Since the implementation of the Clean Air Act in 2000, the MMDA estimates that it has apprehended more than 40,000 vehicles for smoke belching. – Marvin Sy