Groups of operators of private emission testing centers (PETC) and clean air advocates have renewed partnership with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to eliminate cases of non-appearance of individuals in the required smoke emission testing for vehicle registration.

The Private Emission Test Center Operators Association (PETCOA), PETC-IT, and the Coalition of Clean Air Advocates (CCAA) have offered their help to LTO chief Assistant Secretary Virginia Torres, similar to what they did during the term of former LTO head Asec. Alberto Suansing.

PETCOA president Tony Halili, PETC-IT president Art Gastilo, and CCAA president Jojo Buerano promised Torres that they will police their ranks from those issuing certification of emission compliance (CEC) without personally assessing the smoke emission of soon-to-be registered vehicles and those issuing tampered CECs through under-the-table discussion.

Although the group is generally not against the automation of LTO database, Halili said PETCOA strongly opposes the direct connect facility of LTO's IT provider, Stradcom Corporation, which they claim as an avenue for unscrupulous PETCs to thrive in their businesses. He said the cessation of Stradcom's direct connect facility will restore propriety and integrity to the emission testing program.

For her part, Torres said she is open to suggestions on how to eliminate cases of non-appearance for smoke emission testing.

"But we cannot immediately stop the direct connect facility of Stradcom. We will have to review the proposal's merits first," Torres said.

Torres said she is committed to completely eradicating the violators of LTO's vehicle registration procedures. She thanked the group for promising cooperation with her administration.

"We will also review the sanctions for violating PETCs and applicants for vehicle registration. We will study if there is a need to impose stricter penalties to eradicate cases of non-appearance," she said.

Earlier, Torres said allowing non-appearance for vehicles applying for registration mars the LTO's advocacy against air pollution. The LTO law enforcement agents are aggressively tracking down smoke belching vehicles in compliance with the Clean Air Act.