PRESS RELEASE
Is your Car Aircon
CFC (Freon) Free?
The Department of Transportation and Communication - Land
Transportation Office (LTO) and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) - Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are implementing a regulation under
the DOTC-DENR Joint Administrative Order No. 3 series of 2006, to inspect car aircon systems as a requirement for renewal and
registration starting this year, 2006.
All vehicles with model 1999 up to present should have HFC-134a
(R-134a or non-CFC) airconditioning system. Any
vehicles from among the said models found to have been converted back to
Chlorofluorocarbon-12, also known as R-12 or Freon, system shall not be allowed
to register or renew registration with LTO unless airconditioning
system is changed back to non-CFC system.
CFC-12 or Freon, an ozone depleting substance, is widely used as
cooling agent in car airconditioning. CFC-12 or Freon
is set for total phase-out (zero importation) by year 2010 in the
Vehicles with HFC-134a aircon
system are restricted to convert
back to Freon. This restriction is to
discourage the practice of back-conversion or the charging of a non-CFC aircon
system (R134a) with Freon, which is commonly practiced by vehicle owners to
save on the cost of their refrigerant. It is also a way to encourage vehicle
owners to use environmental-friendly refrigerant such as hydrofluorocarbons
(HFC-134A or R-134A) and other blends.
Older models (1998 and below) with CFC-12 or Freon-using airconditioning system will still be allowed to register until the phase-out year of 2012.
However, they may opt to retrofit their airconditioning
system with alternative refrigerants, such HFC-134a, which is more
ozone-friendly.
The LTO maintains a database to determine the volume of vehicles
that uses CFC and non-CFC airconditioning system.
The phase-out of CFCs is also covered by DENR Administrative Order
2004-8 (Chemical Control Order [CCO] for Ozone-depleting Substances), under
Republic Act 6969 (Toxic Substances, Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act).
The CCO includes provisions against back conversion and venting, which is the intentional
release of CFC when servicing air-conditioning systems.
For more information, please contact the DOTC-LTO at tel. no.
921-9072 or contact DENR-EMB Philippine Ozone Desk/National CFC Phase-out Plan
-Project Management Unit at telephone numbers 928-4578 and telefax
426-4338. #