Marcos tightens protocol plate issuance to curb misuse

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued an order regulating the granting of protocol license plates to government officials following concerns about the increasing prevalence of low-numbered plates.

Executive Order 58, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on March 25 but was only made public Thursday, reduced the number of plates designated to high-ranking officials. It amended the Arroyo-era Executive Order 400.

"It has been observed that complaints about the proliferation and unauthorized use of protocol license plates continue to increase over the years, threatening public safety and undermining the integrity of vehicle registration," the order read.

Below is a list of high-ranking officials allowed to use protocol license plates and their assigned numbers.

• President: 1 and/or PANGULO
• Vice President: 2
• Senate President: 3
• Speaker of the House of Representatives: 4
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: 5
• Cabinet Secretaries: 6
• Senators: 7
• Members of the House of Representatives: 8
• Associate Justices of the Supreme Court: 9
• Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals (CA), Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) and Sandiganbayan, and Solicitor General: 10
• Chairpersons of Constitutional Commissions and Ombudsman: 11
• Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Chief of the Philippine National Police:14

All authorized government personnel are allowed a maximum of two pairs of protocol license plates, except the president, vice president, Senate president, House speaker and Supreme Court chief justice, who are allowed a maximum of three plates.

According to the order, all other officials with equivalent ranks as the above authorized officials may be allowed to use protocol license plates, upon the recommendation of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), approval of the transportation secretary, and based on the list of all officials with equivalent rank as the above-mentioned officials of the Department of Budget and Management.

The EO said the associate justices of the CA, CTA and Sandiganbayan may also be permitted to use protocol license plates upon the recommendation of the LTO and approval of the transportation chief.

But it stressed that "this shall not be construed to authorize all other officials with equivalent rank as the associate justices of the CA, CTA and Sandiganbayan and below to use protocol license plates."

Protocol license plates issued to authorized officials will be valid only during their incumbency and may only be used for vehicles duly registered under their name and/or officially assigned to them.

"All previously-issued protocol license plates issued pursuant to EO 400, as amended, except those issued to incumbent authorized officials under Section 1 hereof, are deemed expired," the order read. The Palace ordered the LTO to revoke and confiscate all expired protocol license plates.

The order prohibits the transfer of low-numbered license plates to unauthorized persons or vehicles. Violation of this prohibition, as well as unauthorized use, will be sufficient cause for the revocation of granted authority, confiscation of issued license plates, and imposition of administrative sanction.

On the day the order was released to the public, traffic enforcers apprehended a Toyota Land Cruiser with a protocol plate 7, assigned to senators, for using the EDSA busway.

Videos posted by reporters showed the driver speeding off after giving his license to a traffic enforcer. — Gaea Katreena Cabico