'PETC-IT firms overcharging PUV operators'

MANILA, Philippines - The computerization contractor of the Land Transportation Office, Stradcom Corp., alleged that the information technology (IT) firms providing connectivity in smoke emission testing, has been overcharging public utility transport operators registering their units at the LTO by almost P50 per transaction.

Stradcom made the revelation as it denied a claim made by the IT providers that they were set to collect around P40 million as “retroactive” computer fees for the registration of public transport vehicles in the period of 2007 to 2009. Stradcom bared that while they charge IT providers P36 per transaction to connect to the LTO IT system database which they maintain, the PETC-IT providers charge motorists P80 per transaction. The firm also said that there were no plans to impose additional charges on private emission test centers and IT providers for smoke emission testing motor vehicles in accordance with the emission standards provided by the Clean Air Act of 1999.

It was learned that the LTO has four IT firms providing connectivity in smoke emission testing — Eurolink, ETC IT, RDMS and Cyberlink. “Reports that Stradcom will collect additional charges are totally unfounded,” Stradcom said. “It is the PETC-IT providers that charge the motoring public P80 for each transaction. Stradcom does not collect from the public. It is the PETC-IT provider that charges the public,” Stradcom said.

“Stradcom only charges the PETC-IT provider around P32 for each transaction for the connection to the LTO computer system to upload the data from the private emission testing centers,” Stradcom added.

“It is interesting to note that the PETC-IT providers are saying that the for-hire vehicles should not be charged but they are the ones charging the public utility vehicles and they have been doing this since 2007,” Stradcom said.

Herminio Buerano, president of the Coalition for Clean Air Advocates (CCAA), for his part, defended the PETC IT providers for charging the P80 fee saying that the IT firms provide PETCs assistance in their computer systems maintenance aside from their connectivity services.

The CCAA was the group formed by PETC operators to police their ranks and prevent so-called non-appearance smoke emission test cases.

Buerano said that while the P80 may be a bit high, they find it acceptable in view of the services provided by the PETC-IT.

“Actually, it’s a bit high but we can’t do anything about it,” Buerano said.

Stradcom said that they merely collect fees from the PETC-IT providers that they have already charged and collected from the public utility vehicle owners in the past. The PETC interconnectivity project was adopted by the Department of Transportation and Communications for the improvement, efficiency, and integrity of the PETC Information Management System mandated to implement the emission standards for motor vehicles as provided in the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999.

Under the program, the LTO requires photographs taken of each emission test conducted on a motor vehicle seeking registration and the real-time or immediate uploading of the photographs to the LTO database to ensure that there is no so-called “non-appearance” cases.

The PETC interconnectivity platform was developed by Stradcom Corp., the LTO’s IT provider, using an IT platform patterned after the system in use in the State of Virginia in the US. – Rainier Allan Ronda