QC sets clampdown on bogus vehicle emission tests

The Quezon City council has enacted a measure against operators of private emission testing centers (PETCs) that issue clearances to vehicles without actually testing or even seeing them.

PETCs are shops accredited by Land Transportation Office (LTO), which requires vehicles to undergo smoke emission tests and check if they meet environmental standards before their registration papers can be renewed.  The LTO also requires it for imported or reconfigured vehicles.

Unscrupulous PETCs have been issuing certificates of emission compliance, or CETCs, despite the “non-appearance” of the concerned vehicles, according to the council, which noted that this racket had been on the rise since 2010.

They face fines ranging from P3,000 to P5,000 or can have their business permits revoked under the recently passed PETC Regulation Ordinance, which now awaits the signature of Mayor Herbert Bautista.

The ordinance is silent, however, on what awaits vehicle owners caught taking advantage of the scheme.

The council said the practice could be blamed for the continued proliferation of smoke-belching vehicles in the city, stressing that the ordinance was necessary to ensure “honest-to-goodness emission tests” and strict compliance with the Clean Air Act of 1999.

“All new and existing PETCs within the territorial jurisdiction of Quezon City shall be strictly monitored and inspected by the city government’s business permit and licensing office (BPLO) and the environmental protection and waste management division (EPWMD),” the ordinance said.

All local PETCs will also be required to submit their authorization and accreditation papers from the transportation and trade departments when they apply for or renew their business permits at the BPLO.

The EPWMD is ordered to ensure that PETCs in the city have testing lanes, employ emission control technicians certified by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), and are compliant with testing and calibration standards.