'Surprised' PNP to study how to enforce LTO’s RFID program

While transport groups were divided over the Land Transportation Office’s RFID (radio frequency identification) microchip program for vehicles, the Philippine National Police said Thursday it will need time to study the system. Radio dzBB’s Sam Nielsen quoted PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Leonardo Espina as saying that they may have to discuss with the LTO the mechanics of implementing the program. Espina said the PNP will soon come out with its formal policy on the matter. He did not elaborate. But LTO chief Arturo Lomibao allayed fears that his agency’s new RFID microchip program may be used to spy on government’s foes. He said the data on the RFID chips to be installed on vehicles will be limited, while the devices to be used to read the data will have limited range. “Dito nakalagay ang data ng sasakyan; narito rin ang pangalan ng owner. ‘Di ko naisip kung papaano (maka-spy). Ito’y para sa sasakyan lang (Data to be placed on the chips include the vehicle owner’s name and I cannot think of how the RFID can be used to spy on people)," Lomibao said in an interview on dzBB radio. He added that the technology to be used in the new system is not a new one, and that it has been used in other countries. Also, he said the devices that will be used to read the data on the RFID chips will have a “limited" range of 10 meters. Spying device? But the militant Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) rejected the idea, saying the P350 fee will be an added burden to drivers. Piston secretary general George San Mateo also said there is the danger government will use the RFID chips to track down drivers who participate in protests. Earlier, Gabriela party-list Rep. Liza Maza voiced fears that the RFID program might be used to violate the right to privacy of individuals. “LTO’s microchips might in turn be used as spy chips for government’s surveillance operations to those critical of the current administration," Maza said. The government is still smarting from charges of spying on those critical of it, after a Navy trainee was caught conducting surveillance on the house of National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera. University of the Philippines professor and writer Pedro “Jun" Cruz Reyes Jr. said unidentified men also spied on his house in Hagonoy, Bulacan two weeks ago. Reyes said around eight unidentified men riding a white van stayed outside and surveyed his home at around midnight of September 10. He added that the same incident happened again on September 13, when a black van parked and stayed outside his house for a few minutes. Also, he said that on the same day, another unidentified man dressed in civilian clothes took pictures of him while he was having snacks at a store outside the UP campus. Convenient to motorists On the other hand, the Philippine Confederation of Drivers and Operators-Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (PCDO-ACTO) welcomed the move, saying it will provide “convenience" to drivers. PCDO-ACTO head Efren de Luna said it will save drivers the hassle of having to present several documents, when the needed information can be gleaned from the RFID chips. “Sa parte ng aking kasapian maganda, nakikita natin habang nagkakaroon ng hulihan maraming traffic enforcer ang maraming hinahanap na dokumento (To us it is a good thing. When traffic enforcers flag us down, it will be a hassle to find the documents they want us to show them)," PCDO-ACTO head Efren de Luna said. Lomibao said the LTO will require motorists starting October – likely October 5 – to install the RFID chips. The chips will last 10 years and have a one-time cost of P350. - GMANews.TV