Sunday, September 30, 2007 Papers of used SUVs in order
THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) has been registering second-hand vehicles because their owners or assemblers have observed regulations provided for by existing laws.
Assistant Secretary Reynaldo Berroya made the clarification amid allegations by some customs brokers and brand-new car dealers that most used sports utility vehicles (SUVs), numbering 25,000 in Cebu, were registered with incomplete documentation.
The figure sent by the Cebu Auto Dealers Association (CADA) to Secretary Margarito Teves last Aug. 24 was disputed by LTO 7 Director Alex Leyson because only 3,308 SUV units were registered by LTO agencies in Central Visayas.
Berroya, who supervised the capability-building seminar of LTO officials at Marco Polo Plaza, said that several SUVs are now being used by judges, prosecutors, police officers and middle-income families because these are affordable.
Berroya said that most Filipinos cannot afford to buy brand-new cars and some of those who bought it on installment often end up with amortization problems.
Berroya also said that LTO has nothing to do with the smuggling issues as far as registration of vehicles is concerned, except when there are blatant discrepancies that should be looked into. (EOB)
