SENATOR Grace Poe welcomed the formal issuance of a memorandum suspending mandatory vehicle inspection exclusively by private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICs), saying this should temporarily put to rest the qualms and confusion over the policy.

“At the minimum, this assures our vehicle owners and motorists a choice that is more convenient and favorable to them amid the pandemic’s challenges,” the chairperson of the committee on public services said.

The memo was issued by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in response to the call of Poe when she presided over Monday’s hearing of the Senate finance subcommittee.

The Oct. 25 memo states that PMVIC inspection is “optional,” adding that “PMVIC inspection or PETC (Private Emission Testing Center) result with LTO inspection, shall be recognized and considered in the process of renewing vehicle registration.”

LTO chief Edgar Galvante earlier said he made the directive that PMVICs are no longer mandatory to regional directors “via Viber” only.

Poe called out the transportation official for the unprofessional means of communicating an important policy, prompting the issuance of a formal memorandum.

“We hope this memo will set a standard policy to be followed in all inspection centers all over the country,” she said.

“It always pays to listen to the voices of our people who know the realities on the ground,” she added.

Poe said the periodic technical inspection of vehicles is a must to ensure safety on the road. However, she stressed that setting guidelines—including the charging of reasonable fees, qualifications and accessibility—should adhere to the standards of due process and transparency, taking into consideration the concerns of stakeholders.

“Hindi dapat mangibabaw ang interes ng iilan lamang sa kapakanan ng mas nakararami nating mga kababayan,” Poe said.

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