By Lorie A. Cascaro
There is a need to develop a standards for customized local road vehicles (CLRV), which are only made in the Philippines, like jeepneys, tricycles, and mini-buses to ensure safety among passengers.
This, according to Albert Mariño, chief, policy coordination and monitoring division, Department of Transportation and Communication, Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology DOST-PCIEERD, during the CLRV workshop yesterday at the Grand Regal Hotel, Davao City.
Attended by fabricators, assemblers and repair shops of CLRVs in the Davao region, the workshop aimed to gather data through a national survey being rolled out by the (DOST-PCIEERD) and National Center for Transportation Studies all over the country.
He said the survey is a two-year program which will provide data to be used to determine what international standards will be adopted for CLRVs.
The proposed standards, including policy regulations in implementing them, will be submitted to and evaluated by the Technical Committee 44 (TC 44) of the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
He added that the TC 44 is the proper body to decide which among the international standards will be adopted for CLRVs.
The Philippine National Standards for automotive products has adopted 19 of the UNECE regulations identified by the ASEAN as priority for reintegration, according to Ma. Teresita G. del Rosario, development specialist, BPS-DTI.
Del Rosario, who presented “road vehicle standards: mandatory and priority regulations in the ASEAN region” at the workshop, said the 19 UNECE regulations are mostly for basic safety and emission.
She mentioned that currently the mandatory national standards for automotive products include seatbelts, pneumatic tires for passenger car, exhaust emission, safety glass, diesel emission and pneumatic tires for commercial car.
The mandatory national standards for other products, she added are safety helmets for motorcycle, inner tubes, and brake fluids among others, while head restraints and seats are among those that are not yet mandatory.
During the workshop, participants were asked to fill out a form for national survey of manufacturers and assemblers of CLRVs.
The survey form is asking information about vehicle specifications, engine specifications, emission, transmission, fuel tank, electrical system, wheels and tires, safety devices, windshield glass, and bumper, among others.
Mariño mentioned that PCIEERD-DOST also gathered stakeholders for information and education campaign conducted each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
“Primarily the goal of this program is to upgrade the level of quality of automotive products used to manufacture the CLRV because usually there are not well engineered,” he said.
