LTO to refund motorists for RFID fees (10:11 a.m.)

THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) will begin refunding motorists for fees collected for the Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) this month.

RFID is a cutting edge technology that uses radio waves to identify vehicles and related information remotely and in real time.

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The use of this technology, according to LTO Chief Arturo Lomibao, will also allow the agency and other law enforcement agencies to access vehicle information to aid in traffic management, law enforcement and crime prevention.

The new system involves the tagging of a sticker on all vehicles. The sticker contains a microchip that will store vehicle information, which can only be retrieved by authorized LTO personnel and law enforcers, thereby eliminating tampering.

The LTO began colleting the RFID fee in the last months of 2009 to January 2010.

However the Supreme Court stopped the collection after several militant groups questioned the charge.

Earlier, members of Pinag-isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide (Piston), staged a rally at the LTO main office at East Avenue, Quezon City condemning the RFID implementation.

They said the RFID was another moneymaking scheme of the administration to fund the campaign of its candidates in the 2010 elections.

The LTO was able to collect around 30 million after issuing RFID stickers to almost 90 vehicles nationwide.

Stradcom Corp., the computerization contractor of the LTO for the radio frequency system project, said it will comply with the refund order. (AP)