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 A Land Transportation Office enforcer uses a handheld scanner to check the registration of a vehicle using the Radio Frequency Identification System during a demonstration at the agency’s main office in Quezon City yesterday. - Photo By BOY SANTOS Car smugglers and car thieves, beware.
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) have adopted modern technology to counter the illegal activities of these criminal specialists.
Land Transportation chief Alberto Suansing said imported vehicles will only be registered by the LTO after an interconnectivity program, known as the Certificate of Payment Authentication and Verification System (CPAVS), validates that the owner has paid the necessary taxes and duties to the BOC.
The best way to crack down on car smugglers is through the motor vehicles registration process, he added.
Suansing said the other program, the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system, will allow law enforcers with hand held scanners to check the registration of a vehicle.
It will also enable police to immediately verify the real owner of a car, he added.
Suansing said the RFID also ensures that emission tests and road worthiness inspections will only proceed if the subject vehicle is physically present at the testing and inspection centers.
These test centers will be equipped with an RFID reader that checks the vehicle’s details and uploads the data to the LTO information system for access during registration, he added.
Suansing said under the RFID system, each registered vehicle will be issued a unique electronic signature, which contains information that validates the vehicle’s authenticity.
The electronic signature can be used in enforcing compliance with safety and environmental regulations as well as in law enforcement, he added.
The RFID is scheduled to be implemented towards the middle of 2008.
Suasing said the CPAVS enforces the LTO’s mandate under Republic Act 4136, the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, which requires that imported cars be registered only upon presentation of proof of payment of taxes and customs duties.
Under the CPAVS, the BOC will transmit the Certificate of Payment in real–time, he added.
Suansing said each CP will be tagged with a unique identification number to ensure against duplication of engine and chassis numbers.
Scanned copies of the CPs will be stored for physical verification, he added.
Suansing said the LTO cannot make changes in the CP details because each CP will be accordingly associated with a specific port of entry.
Suansing said the system ensures the authenticity of CPs and guarantees the proper assessment and collection of taxes for imported cars and parts.
The CPAVS eradicates the problem of fake or duplicate Cps, streamlines operations and allows efficient and automated process of verifying CPs, he added.
The two programs were launched yesterday by Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales and Cesar Quiambao, president/COO of Stradcom Corp., private sector technology partner in the LTO information technology project. By Perseus Echeminada Philippine Star Online
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