Car Aircons and the LTO

If you want to register your car with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) of the Philippines, please ensure that your cair aircon uses an ozone-friendly system.

Ozone-hostile: Freon 12 (CFC-12 or R-12)
Ozone-friendly: R-134a

If you car model is 1999 or newer, you should have an HFC-134a (R-134a or non-CFC) airconditioning system. Yes, this is more expensive than R-12, but if you convert to CFC-12 (R-12 or Freon), you will not be allowed to register or renew your registration with the LTO.

If you car model is 1998 or older, you can continue using CFC-12 and still be allowed to register your vehicle until the year 2012.

What's unclear, though, is what will happen if old car models (1998 and older) convert their aircon systems to R-134a. Then again, what will people do with 15-year-old vehicles?

For more information:

National CFC Phase-Out Plan
Project Management Unit
Philippine Ozone Desk
Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources
EMB Building DENR Compound Visayas Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Tel. +63.2.4264338 or +63.2.9284578
http://www.emb.gov.ph/
(I wonder where the PhilOzone site is...)

Land Transportation Office
Dept. of Transportation and Communication
East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Tel. +63.2.9219072

[ First posted on 07/03/2006 by Manuel Viloria ]