A known business leader from Pampanga is pushing for an investigation on alleged questionable testing procedures and overcharging by Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVIC) after his vehicle failed the roadworthiness test.
Rene Romero, 68, is the former president of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and an active member of several car clubs. His story goes that his driver brought his 2011 BMW Z4 to the QWIK Motor Vehicle Inspection Center last January 11 as part of its registration process with the Land Transportation Office. A certified car nut, Romero claims his Z4 is casa-maintained and well-preserved after logging some 7,000km. While mounting a new set of tires, Romero also checked the Z4’s underchassis to make sure that it’s in good condition.
After paying the P1,800 for the testing fee, his driver was handed Number 85 at the facility at around 9 in the morning. It took three hours before the technicians started the roadworthiness inspection on the Z4.
“Nagulat na lang ako when my driver called me, telling me that my car failed in the testing procedure,” Romero related.
Disappointed, he immediately took his car to the BMW dealership in San Fernando, Pampanga, to check on the brake system. But after a thorough inspection, the BMW mechanics did not find anything amiss.
Romero kept a copy of the inspection result from the BMW dealership. The driver took the Z4 to QWIK on January 15 for a retake of the inspection process, which costs another P900. This time, Romero said, it was the facility’s manager who drove the Z4 to the inspection bay. The vehicle got a passing mark.
Romero tried talking to the management of QWIK about the inconsistency in the testing process, but to no avail. When he started posting about his experience on social media, similar stories from other motorists started to pour in.
“Kawawa naman ‘yun ibang motorista na isang kahig, isang tuka. Mawawala parang bula ang kanilang pera dahil lang sa palpak sa sistema,” says Romero.
“Nagdusa na nga sa haba ng pila sa testing center, tapos babagsak pa sa evaluation na hindi nila maipaliwanag kung bakit ganun ang nangyari. Dapat na maituwid natin ito,” he stressed.
Nonetheless, Romero emphasized that he respects the government’s policy to rid the streets of unsafe vehicles by checking for roadworthiness. He is currently collating statements and documents from other motorists, mostly from Pampanga, in a bid to open an investigation on the issue.
