Owners, not the drivers, of any public utility vehicle, should be penalized for smoke-belching, according to a Quezon City lawmaker.
Rep. Alfred Vargas has filed House Bill 6298 to boost the provisions of the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, or Republic Act 8749, by transferring the liability for smoke-belching from the driver or even the operator of the vehicle to the owner.
Under the measure, Vargas seeks to amend Section 46 on Validation of Standards for Motor Vehicles of RA 8749 that penalizes the drivers and operators of motor vehicles in violation of the emission standards.
“These motor vehicles are mostly comprised of trucks and PUVs,” he said.
The drivers of PUVs are just employers of the owners, and that they do not necessarily have the proper means and control over major repairs of the vehicles, he said.
“With the driver held liable, owners are not compelled to make the necessary vehicle repairs or part replacements in order to comply with the emission standards. Thus, the problem of smoke belching is not effectively addressed,” he added.
According to Vargas, the people in Metro Manila are highly vulnerable to develop cardiovascular illnesses and respiratory diseases due to the worsening air quality in the region.
Noting a partial report of the National Emissions Inventory, he said 85 percent of air pollution in the National Capital Region came from vehicles.
“While the Philippine has enacted laws to attain clean and healthy air quality, further policy review is still needed as these statutes have proven to be inadequate in solving the country’s air pollution problem,” he said.
He said the owner of a smoke-belching PUV must go through a seminar on pollution control and management conducted by the Department of Transportation and Communications, and suffer the penalty of one year suspension of the motor vehicle registration and a fine from P6,000 to P10,000.
