The Motor Vehicle Inspection Center (MVIC) in San Juan, La Union, is complete and expected to start operating by January 2012, when the registration of vehicles starts.
LTO Ilocos region assistant regional director Francis Ray Almora said that the center is almost complete, with all the equipment already in place.
Upon installation, the only remaining activity is the training of personnel who will operate the center.
The MVIC is in Urbinztondo in this town via the diversion road from San Fernando City to the municipality of San Juan, away from the busy national highway frequently used by all vehicles in the locality and those proceeding to the Ilocos.
Almora said that the facility can accommodate about 60 vehicles each lane. A lane is designated for heavy vehicles, light vehicles and for motorcycles used as tricycles.
The director said the center is highly computerized where vehicle information is initially inputted prior to going through the different processes.
Each vehicle undergoes the above-carriage inspection where wheel alignment is checked, the breaks tested and the speedometer also assessed. The vehicle goes through emission testing.
A headlight test is also done to determine the luminosity and direction of the beam. The last procedure is an under chassis checkup.
The procedures only take about 10 minutes per vehicle. The vehicle will then pass through a glass window with a small opening where the certificate of passing is issued and if not, a list of things that need to be fixed will be issued.
The director explained that the procedure is computerized and Actia Muller in joint venture with Enviro-hymeg-SVMI , the system provider who also provides the equipments for the entire facility, is placing measures to ensure protection for manipulation.
The center, he said, charges P150 for the whole testing.
Because it is linked with the mainframe of the LTO, it can also detect whether the vehicle is a hot item, or commonly known as carnapped, and if it was previously subjected to motor-vehicle inspection in other areas of the country and has failed the earlier test.
(Liza T. Agoot)
