Roadside smoke emission tests in order

MAYOR Mauricio Domogan maintained on Wednesday that the vehicle smoke emission tests conducted in random and on a voluntary basis by Baguio City’s Roadside Inspection, Testing and Monitoring Team (RITMT) are in order and are not the true cause of the inaccuracies that of recent have disgruntled many private and public utility motorists.

Domogan said there is no problem with the city’s RITMT system as the machines are in good condition and the vehicle smoke emission standards being used are in accordance with the law thus there is no basis in the claims that the RITMT system is faulty and causing the inconsistencies in the test results.

He said there is a need to look into the accuracy of the system of some of the private testing centers in the city in view of the findings of an earlier investigation conducted by the Department of Transportation and Communication Cordillera (DOTC-CAR) that a number of said private testing firms are not complying with the standards set by the law.

Many private and public motorists expressed dismay over failing the RITMT tests and blamed the city’s system for the inconsistencies.

This prompted Vice Mayor Daniel Fariñas to call for an investigation on the functions of the Clean Air Monitoring Unit (Camu) particularly the enforcement of compliance to vehicle emission standards set in Ordinance 61 series of 2008, or the Clean Air Act Ordinance of the city.

CAMU is an interagency body chaired by the city mayor that spearheads the implementation of measures to control vehicle emission under the city environment and parks management office.

In a proposed resolution, Fariñas also sought to include the probe the “propriety of the tests being generated by the testing machines which are being used by the RITMT.”

Fariñas said there were drivers complaining that even new motor vehicles released by motor vehicle manufacturing companies fail the RITMT test despite the fact that these are newly manufactured units.

He said there are those that fail the test of the RITMT but upon undergoing the same test by privately owned and operated testing center, were issued passing marks.

Fariñas added that many motorists are also questioning the manner of the apprehension and testing during the RITMT operations as team members are not experts in the said functions.

“The conduct of a reassessment and fact-finding investigation of the functions of the Camu and the RITMT operations which shall be participated in by private and public motorists, taxpayers and other concerned individuals as well, or in general, our constituents, to be conducted by the government as a voluntary move to eradicate red tape in the system shall help to introduce amendments and or to rectify what is wrong with the system affecting the foregoing matter,” Fariñas said. (Aileen Refuerzo)