Acting on the orders of the national goverment, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Vehicle Inspection Center Operators of the Philippines (VICOAP) have agreed to lower the testing fees for private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVIC).
From the existing PMVIC testing fees (P1,500 to P1,800 for light vehicles, P600 for motorcycles, and P300 for public utility jeepneys), both parties announced that the new rates for the 72-point roadworthiness test are now pegged at P600 for light vehicles and P500 for motorbikes, while the fee for public utility jeepneys will remain at P300. The PMVICs also agreed to not charge retesting fees for one year after the initial failed result.
“This is our moral obligation to make sure that our vehicles are safe not just for our families but for us not to pose a threat to others on the road,” said VICOAP president Iñigo Larrizabal. It’s a bitter pill to swallow for the PMVIC owners who have invested millions in their facilities, but VICOAP also sees the other side of the coin.
Dubbing them as “pandemic rates,” Larrazabal believes that these lowered fees will give motorists an opportunity to try and appreciate the new motor vehicle inspection system, which now costs roughly the same amount as the old emission testing procedure.
“Huwag na po tayo dun sa ‘no-show.’ Huwag na po tayo dun sa dating kalakaran na iniiwasan ang pagiinspeksiyon,” he added.
DOTr assistant secretary Giovanni Lopez said the agency will soon release an official directive on the lowering of vehicle inspection fees, which will also cover non-VICOAP members.
