The Land Transportation Office has a lot of explaining to do for its P438-million motor vehicle inspection system project during the Arroyo administration, according to the Commission on Audit.
In a 2017 audit report for the Road Board on the motor vehicle user’s charge, CoA said 11 sets of MVIS equipment worth P209.4 million purchased in 2008 and 2009 were abandoned and left idle to deteriorate, uninstalled and partially used that resulted in “tantamount wastage of government resources.”
State auditors told LTO to identify those responsible in such negligence and file charges against them.
“We recommended that LTO management conduct an investigation to identify the persons liable for the ineffective implementation of the MVIS project, which resulted in the wastage of government funds on the non-utilization of the MVIS equipment delivered in 2008 and 2009, and file the appropriate legal actions against erring personnel/persons, as warranted,” the report read.
The MVIS project was designed to ensure all vehicles were compliant with the emission standards set under the Clean Air Act.
CoA said private emission testing centers enjoyed brisk business on the mandatory emission test fees that should have gone to the government had LTO been able to implement the MVIS project nationwide.
Ten years after the equipment procurement, the project failed to reach its full potential, CoA said.
“The project’s objectives of improved air quality and reduced traffic accidents were not achieved, thereby, depriving road users of greater vehicle reliability and reduced running costs and resulting in lost income and wastage of government funds expended for the project caused by the non-utilization of the MVIS equipment to date,” it added.
The Road Board continued to ignore CoA’s previous warnings.
In its recent audit report, CoA told LTO to recover its investments for the MVIS equipment by seeking funds for the replacement of obsolete or deteriorating equipment.