Solon wants to exempt tricycledrivers from the MVUC charge

As a humanitarian consideration in view of the rising cost of living, a lawmaker has filed a measure seeking to exempt motorcycles with sidecar from payment of the Motor Vehicle Users Charge (MVUC).

Rep. Sherwin T. Gatchalian (1st District, Valenzuela City) sought the proposal through House Bill 6435, citing that the exclusion of tricycles from the coverage of Republic Act 8794 otherwise known as "An Act Imposing a Motor Vehicle User's Charge on Owners of All Types of Motor Vehicles and for Other Purposes," will lessen the financial burden of these daily earners.

"In the perspective of a humble and destitute tricycle driver the amount exacted from them from the MVUC already cuts a big chunk of the earning that could have fed their family for a day," Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian said the comparison to what the Board receives from other sources and the amount it disburses to fund questionable projects trivializes the contributions from all of these tricycle drivers.

The pittance, which these people earn to bring home to their families, should have been a shameful reminder to the Road Board Management when these funds are irregularly spent with reckless impunity, he added.

Gatchalian noted that the Road Board, which collects at least P10 billion a year from motor vehicle owners and acts as the "road maintenance arm" of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has always been found by the Commission on Audit (COA) as lacking in adequate evaluation standards which has led to an increased risk of misallocation of funds. In the same manner, that it has neglected its mandate of pollution control.

According to the lawmaker, 43 local government units (LGUs) were unable to access their share of the Special Local Road Fund (SLRF) in 2013 because the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) management excluded them from the SLRF share of P322, 070,717 for not passing the SGH requirements which are contrary to the Road Board Policy and MVUC law.

The Special Local Road Fund as stated under RA 8794 shall be apportioned to provincial and city governments in accordance with the vehicle population and size of the road network under their respective jurisdictions, and shall be used exclusively for maintenance of local roads, traffic management and rod safety devices.

"These and other factual practices have hounded the management of the Road Board Funds," Gatchalian pointed out.

The measure amends Sections 2 and 3 (B) of RA 8794 by exempting motorcycles for hire with sidecar used as a means of livelihood from payment of the MVUC.

Section 3 (b) is also amended by imposing that motorcycles for hire with sidecars shall not pay more than P300.00 as base rate. (House of Representatives)