Deadline on use of temporary plates extended

MANILA, Philippines — Temporary vehicle license plates may be used until Dec. 31, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) announced yesterday.

Motorists should install the license plates as soon as these become available “either in the car dealerships or replacement plates in our offices,” LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II said.

The ban on temporary license plates was supposed to start today.

A 90-day extension has been provided before the crackdown on improvised license plates.

Mendoza has issued a memorandum circular against the use of improvised and temporary plates after an initial probe revealed that registered car owners, especially owners of newly bought vehicles, are not claiming their license plates from dealerships.

Thousands of license plates remain unclaimed in car dealerships, he noted.

In a meeting last month, car dealers said clients do not claim their license plates despite repeated messages.

“There is no more backlog on the four-wheel vehicles, so there is no reason for these vehicle owners not to claim and install them in their vehicles,” Mendoza said.

Motorcycles have a backlog of license plates, he said.

“This is our focus now, in compliance with the directive from President Marcos, to address all the backlog on license plates by June next year,” he noted.

LTO regional directors and district office heads have been instructed to coordinate with local government units for the distribution of license plates.

Resolve backlog first

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino urged the LTO to stop apprehending motorcycle riders and motorists using temporary and improvised license plates.

As of February, Tolentino said the LTO reported a backlog of 12,548,909 license plates.

“The LTO must first resolve its own backlog in issuing official license plates,” he said.

On July 29, the Senate, voting 22-0, approved Senate Bill 2555 on third and final reading, seeking to amend controversial provisions of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act or the Doble Plaka Law. — Cecille Suerte Felipe