Bayombong-—Nueva Vizcaya Governor Carlos Padilla has sought the help of the Department of Transportation (DOTR) to fast-track the pending applications of Emission Testing Centers (ETC) in the province.
He made the appeal with the support of other local chief executives in Cagayan Valley region.
“I, together with our several chief executives in the region, made an appeal to the DOTR to immediately act on the pending applications of ETCs operators because of their insufficient number in the province and the region as well,” Padilla said.
It was learned that several ETCs in the province were ordered closed by the DOTR due to their illegitimate operations.
Their closure, coupled with the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), saw the pending number of vehicle owners and operators needing emission testing certifications pile up, before their application for the renewal of their registration with the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
Padilla said his appeal was contained in a regional resolution filed in a recent meeting of the Regional Development Council’s Infrastructure Development Committee (RDC-IDC), in which he is chairman.
Board Member Flodemonte Gerdan, chairman on the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s committee on transportation, also expressed support to the RDC-IDC resolution.
“With only 2 ETCs operating in our province, it cannot immediately cater to the huge number of vehicle drivers and operators needing such certification. The shortage of ETCs has also posed an economic problem among our stakeholders in the transport sector,” Gerdan said.