HON. RUFUS B. RODRIGUEZ

Chairman, Committee on Constitutional Amendments

Vice Chairman, Committee on Justice

House of Representatives

Honorable Congressman Rodriguez,

Good morning, Sir.

I am writing to suggest, If I may, a possible solution to the problem of social distancing in Smoke Emission Testing Centers.

That you see people crammed inside emission testing centers is proof that there are not enough testing centers that people can go to.  This is the result of the action of Usec. Artemio U. Tuazon, ordering the closure of about 800 Private Emission Testing Center (PETC) across the country without ‘due process’.

Many of Usec. Tuazon’s accusations against PETCs are baseless, lacking concrete evidence.  Yet he succeeded in closing them down. This has never happened before since the enactment of RA 8749 or the Clean Air Act.

The arbitrary closure of PETCs started when the Department of Transportation (DoTR) issued DO-2016-017 after Sec. Tugade successfully transferred to DOTR the mandate and jurisdiction of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Vehicle Inspection as stated in RA 4136.

We believe and it is clear that the action of Sec. Tugade is to favor the privatization of LTO’s Motor Vehicle Inspection System. This project was labelled – PRIVATE MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTION CENTERS (PMVIC) where private investors are now the ones who will perform the mandate of the LTO on vehicle inspections.

Please note, your honor, that the capital needed to put up a PMVIC is from P40M or more.  The privatization of LTO-MVIS has caused the government to lose income that instead of going to the national coffers are now going to the hands of powerful businessmen and private investors.  This also resulted to the loss of income and livelihood of more or less 10,000 small businessmen who were operators of PETCs.

Honorable Congressman, the way that Sec. Tugade privatized the LTO-MVIS is not based on what the law stipulates and we, at CAMPI-Clean Air Act of the Philippines, Inc., are ready and willing to prove this if you give us the chance and if you will hear us out.

After Sec. Tugade successfully issued DOTR-DO-2016-017, he established the FRS-ISLES within the DoTR participated in by different department Usec. and is now headed by Usec. Artemio U. Tuazon.

Congressman, it is made clear, and without a doubt, that the reason Sec. Tugade seized the mandate of LTO on vehicle inspection is to favor the PRIVATIZATION of the LTO-MVIS and indulge the big and powerful businessmen.

We’ve seen a lot of violations against the law that Sec. Tugade had to approve in order to push this DoTR project, one of which, among many, is the lack of ‘public consultation’.

The public will now be required to pay P1,800.00 to PMVICs for emission testing and inspection before they can register their vehicles while it is P900.00 for motorcycles.  If they fail in the emission test and inspection, the payment of 50% more is required for re-testing/inspection.

This cost is only P90.00 if it was the LTO-MVIS who will conduct it and not the PRIVATIZED MVIC.

Even the anomalies in the importation of machines that the PMVIC will be using will be revealed to you, Congressman, if you will only listen to our side and if you will give us the opportunity to present to you our evidence.  This is a huge amount that the government will lose because of wrong-practices at the DoTR.

We are asking for your help, Congressman. We appeal for your compassion. The small businessmen in our line are suffering because of the pandemic and the livelihood of some 10,000 people are in danger. It is now, more than ever, that we need the government’s help.

Thank you for your attention.  We pray that God continues to give you strength and the wisdom to help and assist people like us, the marginalized in our society.

May God bless you and your family always.

Clean Air Movement of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI)

0932-4584840

larpit.md@gmail.com

(Atty. Ariel Enrile-Inton)

Isang administration lawmaker ang hindi sangayon sa paglalagay ng barriers sa pagitan ng riders at back-rider ng motorcycle na kung saan sinabi niyang ito ay walang gamit at mapaganib pa na gamitin.

“I just hope that the task force will just forgo its shield requirement. I don’t see any reason why a divider or a shield for couples who eat, sleep and even take a bath together would be required to comply with such,” wika ni Ang Probinsiyano party-list Rep. Ronnie Ong.

Ayon sa kanya hindi lamang walang gamit at impractical kund hindi maglalagay din ito sa panganib sa mga motorcycle riders at maaari pang makasagabal sa ibang motorists at pedestrians.

Sinabi rin ni Ong na ang dagdag na requirement na ito ay siya rin pinagsisimulan ng mga reklamo mula sa mga riders dahil ito ay maaari rin na pagsimulan ng extortion mula sa mga tiwaling traffic enforcers.

Nagkalat na sa facebook ang mga reklamo ng mga riders dahil sa di umanong ginagawang pangongotong ng mga traffic enforcers.

“Instead of physical divider or a shield being installed on motorcycles, I suggest that riders just be required to wear full-face helmets, face mask, long-sleeve shirts or jackets, long  pants, gloves and closed shoes,” dagdag ni Ong.

Umaasa rin si Ong na mabibigyan ng pagkakataon ang iba pang miyembro ng pamilya ang sumakay sa motorcycle bilang back-riders subalit kinakailangan nilang mag comply sa mga health requirements protcols at mapatunayan nila na sila ay nagsasama sa iisang tahanan lamang. Sa ganitong paraan ay makakatulong din ito upang mabawasan ang mga commuters na parating stranded dahil walang masakyan.

Ayon pa rin kay Ong na kahit mahirap sa mga checkpoint personnel ang pag verify ng relationship ng mga motorcycle riders, ang Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for Emerging Infectious Diseases rin sana ay maging considerate sa mga sacrifices na pinagdadaanan ng mga motorista dahil sa kakulangan ng pampublikong transportasyon ngayon General Community Quarantine (GCQ).

Sa ngayon, karamihan sa mga Filipinos ay gumagamit na rin ng bisikleta at motorcycles sa kanilang araw-araw na paglalakbay dahil na rin sa limitadong passenger capacity ng mga public transportation dahil sa ipinatutupad na health at social distancing protocols.

“Allowing motorcycle riders to ferry their family members is actually safer than compelling them to take public transportation along with complete strangers who are all potential coronavirus carriers” wika ni Ong.

Pinaalalahan din niya ang mga motorcycle riders na maging responsible sa kanilang pagtupad sa mga requirements na itinakda ng IATF habang binabalaan naman niya ang mga operators ng habal-habal na maaaring mag-take advantage sa bagong policy na ito.  (LASACMAR)

UMAASA na may ginawa o gagawin at gagawin ng pamahalaan bilang tugon sa pandemyang nararanasan ng Pilipinas ang nais na marinig ni Manila Apostolic Bishop Broderick Pabillo sa nakatakdang ika-5 State of the Nation Address ng Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte.

Ayon kay Manila Apostolic  Bishop Broderik Pabillo na  ito ang pangunahing suliranin ng bansa sa kasalukuyan na nagbunsod na rin sa krisis sa ekonomiya, trabaho at sa sektor ng edukasyon.

“At hindi lang ito maliit na problema. Kasi iba pa iyong mga nagugutom na, iba pa iyong mga nawalan ng trabaho. Iba’y nawalan ng kinabukasan. At dahil dito ay pati ang kabataan ay tinatamaan dahil sa pag-aaral nila, at sa trabaho, iyong mga nag-graduate, Di makakita ng trabaho. Kaya malaki ang problema na dapat pagtuunan, at sana, may solusyon ang gobyerno sa mga pangyayaring ito,” ayon sa pahayag ni Bishop Pabillo.

Kinondena rin ng obispo ang kasalukuyang tugon ng pamahalaan na paglalagay ng pulis at militar sa krisis pangkalusugan na hindi naman matutugunan ng baril at bala kundi ang pagbibigay ng tamang kaalaman sa publiko.

Tulad na lang dito ang naging tugon ng pamahalaan sa problema ng ilegal na droga na hanggang ngayon ay nanatili pa rin sa bansa sa kabila ng higit sa 30-libong napatay na may kinalaman sa droga.

“Hindi ba nangako siya noong bago mag-eleksyon, na magreresign siya after six months kung hindi matanggal iyong droga. Four years na, pero andiyan parin. Hindi naman bumawas after having killed around 30,000 na mga tao. Andiyan parin,” dagdag pa ni Bishop Pabillo.

Ayon sa obispo ang ilegal droga ay isa lamang sa mga pangakong hindi naisakatuparan ng pangulong Duterte, bukod pa ang matagal ng usapin ng kahirapan at kawalan ng trabaho ng Filipino.

Una na ring inanyayahan ni Bishop Pabillo ang mga publiko na makiisa sa panalangin sa isasagawang Mass for Justice and Peace sa araw ng pag-uulat sa bayan ng Pangulo sa Lunes. (Bishop Jesus “Jemba” M. Basco)