A consumer advocacy group is up in arms over the supposed efforts of Senator Grace Poe to put a stop to the operation of private motor vehicle inspection centers (PMVICs).

The Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya Para sa Mamamayan (AGHAM) led by its president, Angelo Palmones believes that the continued presence of PMVICs has major implications on the environment as well as public safety.

“PMVICs are the next step in ensuring road safety, as has been institutionalized in all corners of our planet. AGHAM condemns the Senator for getting in the way of progress,” Palmones said in a statement on Aug. 25.

“It is time to put an end to the rolling coffins and environmentally unsound vehicles that continue to ply our roads,” he added.

In a privilege speech earlier this week, Poe told the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to addressed the alleged problems and headaches being caused to motorists by PMVICs during this time of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

These include alleged long queues sans physical distancing at the centers and alleged burdensome costs, especially when compared to more traditional Private Emission Testing Centers (PETCs).

For Palmones, PETCs facilitate the “status quo” which lead to unsafe driving conditions on top of continued air pollution.

“While it is necessary to ensure that the programs terms, guidelines, and operating regulations that led to the creation and authorization of PMVICs are within legal and constitutional bounds, let us not forget the system that this program is seeking to elevate and bring integrity to,” he said.

According to Palmones, solely relying on PETCs and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) District Office visual inspectors to determine vehicles’ roadworthiness and exhaust emissions compliance “has failed and will continue to fail the public unless it is completely revamped”.

“The status quo of non-appearance/no-show practiced by fixers in collusion with PETCs, insurance companies, and the LTO District Offices themselves, has been so institutionalized that the very mentality of Filipinos is no longer that of safety, but one of misplaced ‘convenience’, unspeakable corruption, and worst of all, complete disregard of Filipino lives,” he said.

“How dare Senator Poe choose that status quo over an initiative that although at the moment is not perfect, clearly does away with all of those opportunities for corruption. Does Senator Poe know about the system that she is choosing to uphold by stopping PMVICs from operating?” asked the AGHAM president.

“Is she really that blind, deaf, and ignorant to the fact that the current system does nothing, absolutely nothing to ensure the road worthiness and environmental compliance of vehicles? It is baffling to us why she chooses to do so, and we can only conclude that such a conscious effort to turn a blind eye to the glaring failure of PETCs only means that she is protecting their interests,” said the outspoken former congressman.

Palmones added: “It does not take a genius to conclude that PMVIC inspections and PETC/LTO visual inspections (or lack thereof), are worlds apart; it does not take a genius to conclude that PMVICs are far more transparent, reliable, and greatly reduces opportunities for corruption; but it takes only one corrupted senator to destroy the lives of Filipinos on the road.”

He said that AGHAM has made it central to its advocacy to promote all initiatives of government that put science and technology first in improving the welfar