The Department of Transportation warned of suspending permits of Private Emission Testing Centers due to increasing number of violators.
“This increasing number of violators is a clear manifestation of their defiance to the law. Your accreditation as emission testing center is just a privilege given to you by the government. Do not wait for us to issue suspension orders or revocation of your permits to operate,” DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
Tugade said violations committed by these testing centers endanger not just the lives of the public, but also harms the environment.
The agency also said that it is set to remit millions of pesos to the government’s coffers as it continues to impose stringent sanction against erring PETCs.
PETCs are authorized private facilities of the DOTr which are engaged in testing the level of opacity and analysis of the gaseous emission of a motor vehicle in accordance with Republic Act 8749 or the Philippine Clean Air Act.
DOTr, through its Investigation, Security and Law Enforcement Staff and Franchising Review Staff have recorded millions of pesos worth of fines collected from numerous PETCs nationwide with violations ranging from having no testing probes, no testing machines, to the non-appearance of vehicles for testing or falsification of test results.
The agency notes a significant increase in fines collected starting 2017.
For the year 2017, ISLES/FRS only collected a total of P90,000 in fines from three PETCs, while a total of P450,000 in fines were collected from six PETCs in 2018.
In 2019, ISLES/FRS received a whopping P10,890,000 in collected fines for the period of April to December from 89 erring PETCs nationwide.
For the period of Jan. 1 to Jan. 27 alone, there were already 86 PETCs that have been found to commit violations.
These erring testing centers have paid a sum of P9,990,000 in penalties.