By Maricel V. Cruz
A panel in the House of Representatives has formed a technical working group to fine-tune a bill seeking to expedite the registration of imported motor vehicles.
The House of Representatives’ committee on transportation, chaired by Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, is expected to approve soon House Bill 6455 authored by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Sarmiento.
One enacted, Alvarez said the Land Transportation Office shall be mandated to speed up its process of registration of imported automobiles. The committee has referred the bill to a TWG in which stakeholders and resource persons from the industry will be enjoined to share their insight on the matter.
The bill mandates the LTO to issue a certificate of registration of imported motor vehicles within 48 hours from the date of submission of requirements. It also mandates the LTO to coordinate with the Bureau of Customs for the electronic transmission and access of accurate and timely certificate of payment on taxes, customs duties, and other importation documents necessary pursuant to Executive Order 482, s. 2015.
Sarmiento said the EO launched the National Single Window (NSW), a computerized Internet-based system that allows parties involved in trade to lodge information and documents with a single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements. He said the NSW system thereby streamlines the registration process and cuts down the turnaround time.
Currently, Sarmiento said the presence of bureaucratic red tape in the agency frustrates clients for requiring them to go through long series of routinary procedures to secure vital government services such as certificates of registration for imported vehicles. This problem is further compounded by the tedious process of obtaining from the BOC, proof of payment of taxes, customs duties or other charges necessary for the issuance of the certificate of registration for imported vehicles, he added.
Sarmiento stressed the need for the government to remove red tape by taking advantage of technological advances to improve efficiency in the delivery of services and streamlining the process of obtaining common official documents, according to the authors.
“The present situation would definitely [be] described as a wide area of corruption because some government personnel will find it very difficult to issue the certificate of payment or probably give [the clients] the run-around. And for them to get the necessary document, people would be forced to come across,” said Sarmiento.
Alvarez cited that one of the reasons for delay is the LTO’s requirement that each branch of a car dealership must be accredited. He also noted that for over a year, the LTO has been unable to release the license plates of numerous vehicles.
Alvarez also expressed dismay over what he described as “sluggish” processes of the LTO.
“LTO officials should strike down old laws that burden citizens,”
Alvarez also underscored the importance of eliminating redundancy in registration processes, such as in the cases of brand-new motorcars that already come with certifications from the manufacturer.
