LTO urged to explain new system

MANILA – Malacañang asked the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Thursday to initiate a wider public consultation and study on the planned implementation of the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

A major transport group, on the other hand, is questioning the plan of LTO to install tracking devices in both public and private vehicles in the country, saying it could be used to spy on those who oppose the government.

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Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said the LTO should first initiate a wider public consultation, particularly on the affected transport sector regarding the RFID system.

Fajardo also said the LTO should also conduct an intensive study on the RFID technology and explain the benefits that the public and the motoring sector will enjoy from the implementation of the new technology.

George San Mateo, secretary general of the Pinag-isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide (Piston), said the LTO failed to consult the transport sector prior to the announcement.

The agency announced that it planned to adopt the new system starting October.

“The government could use this device to snoop on those who oppose its policies. It could even be used to harass the transport sector, especially the operators and drivers who are against the unabated oil price hikes,” San Mateo said.

Gabriela Representative Liza Maza voiced the same opposition.

Maza said the LTO and the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) should have first conducted an information drive to educate the public on the new technology.

Though she lauded the technology, Maza said it could violate the right to privacy not to mention the cost in the installation of the tracking device.

But LTO chief Arturo Lomibao defended the program, saying it will speed up the registration of vehicles.

“The RFID technology will revolutionize the land transportation system in the Philippines. This is a great first step in putting order in our streets,” Lomibao said.

RFID is a technology that incorporates the use of electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to uniquely identify an object, animal, or person.

The new system involves the tagging of a sticker on all vehicles.

The sticker contains a microchip that will store vehicle information which can only be retrieved by authorized LTO personnel and law enforcers, thereby eliminating tampering.

Motorists will only pay a one-time tagging fee of P350 as they register their vehicles. The LTO’s RFID tag is expected to last for 10 years, which mean that the RFID effectively costs just P35 per year.

“This is considerably less expensive compared to the more than P1,500 paid for other RFID technologies such as the e-pass and ec-tag,” Lomibao said.

The LTO chief said the RFID is expected to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the LTO’s law enforcement capabilities, effectively improving traffic conditions via the apprehension of frequent violators and out-of-the-line vehicles.

Lomibao also said air pollution will be lessened as the system will eradicate the practice of non-appearance of vehicles subject to smoke emissions testing, effectively barring smoke belchers from the streets.

“Legitimate public utility vehicle operators and drivers as well as commuters will be well-protected as the RFID will be able to identify and verify franchise records, thus keeping ‘colorums’ off the road,” Lomibao added.

The agency likewise said it can serve as a major deterrent against carnapping because law enforcers will have access to information on possible “hot” vehicles in real time.

RFID is coming into increasing use in industry as an alternative to the bar code. The advantage of RFID is that it does not require direct contact or line-of-sight scanning. An RFID system consists of three components: an antenna and transceiver (often combined into one reader) and a transponder (the tag). The antenna uses radio frequency waves to transmit a signal that activates the transponder.

When activated, the tag transmits data back to the antenna. The data is used to notify a programmable logic controller that an action should occur. The action could be as simple as raising an access gate or as complicated as interfacing with a database to carry out a monetary transaction.

Today, RFID is used in enterprise supply chain management to improve the efficiency of inventory tracking and management.

Lomibao said RFID technology has been used to manage traffic and vehicular registries in the United States, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and other countries.