LTO shuts down direct upload of car smoke test results

MANILA, Philippines - Land Transportation Office chief Alberto Suansing stopped Monday the pilot implementation of its “direct connectivity” project following complaints from private emission testing centers (PETCs).

The project enables PETCs to directly connect with the LTO’s database, eliminating the need for PETCs to have their own information technology providers, and upload photographs of vehicle during emission testing, a pre-requisite for vehicle registration.

The photographs should be uploaded real-time so vehicles that do not pass emission tests cannot be registered, according to the LTO.

The direct connectivity project was started by the agency’s exclusive information technology provider, Stradcom Corp. Then LTO chief Arturo Lomibao issued a memorandum last June 23 to allow Stradcom to test the project.

Some PETCs and their own IT providers have been complaining about the direct connectivity project’s additional cost.

Mark Halili of IT firm ETC IT alleged that Stradcom “was charging P67.50 per data uploaded” on top of a computer fee of P150 “it collects per vehicle registration.”

Dan Barrameda – vice president of RDMS, one of four PETC IT providers operating at the LTO – hailed Suansing’s order, saying it was long overdue.

The direct connectivity project “has only wrought havoc to the emission testing industry by connecting unscrupulous PETCs to their system which caused the resurgence of rampant ‘non-appearance’ testing,” he said.