Ben Madilynn
THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) has decided to defer the implementation of the rule prohibiting the use of improvised and temporary license plates for motor vehicles and motorcycles.
Instead of taking effect on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, the deadline has been moved to Dec. 31 to eliminate any confusion.
“We ask the motorists to claim and install their respective license plates as soon as they are available either in the car dealerships and replacement plates in our offices,” said LTO Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza in a statement released on Sunday.
Earlier, the LTO issued Memorandum Circular VDM-2024-272 that bans the use of unofficial and temporary license plates for vehicles following an investigation that revealed many new vehicle owners were neglecting to claim their official plates from dealerships.
The agency said thousands of license plates remain unclaimed despite car dealers reminding customers to pick them up.
Mendoza said he has directed LTO regional directors and district offices to work with local governments to distribute the license plates.
“Ang natitira na lamang pong backlog ay mga plaka sa mga motorsiklo at ito po ay ang focus namin ngayon (The only remaining backlog is for motorcycle plates, and this is our current focus) in compliance with the directive from President (Ferdinand) Marcos (Jr.) to address all the backlog on license plates by June next year,” he said.
He said the installation of license plates is the LTO’s contribution to crime prevention measures, especially since more and more vehicles are being used in criminal activities.
“Wala na pong backlog sa mga four-wheel vehicles so there is no reason for these vehicle owners not to claim and install them on their vehicles,” said Mendoza.
(The backlog for four-wheel vehicle license plates has been cleared, so there is no reason for owners to delay claiming and installing them on their cars.)
Mendoza assured that the deferred deadline would not affect their commitment to quickly and efficiently deliver all unclaimed license plates to their owners.
Confused
On Sat, Aug. 31, many drivers in Cebu City were still confused about the new rules surrounding the use of temporary or improvised plates.
According to the circular, drivers with lost or damaged plates must apply for a duplicate plate and must obtain an authorization or permit to use the improvised plate.
Temporary plates must show the vehicle’s plate number and the words “Improvised Plate” and are only valid until the real plate arrives.
For vintage vehicles, the plate must say “Vintage Vehicle” and show the year and no permit is needed.
An owner of a new car can use a temporary plate for 15 days after purchase with the plate showing the vehicle’s sticker number. A private car should have a white plate with black letters.
Electric and hybrid cars use white plates with green letters, while government vehicles with temporary plates must use white plates with red alphanumeric.
Motorcycles bought before Jan. 1, 2023 can use their MV File Number as a temporary plate. For new motorcycles or those purchased after the effectivity of the memo, the use of temporary plate shall be valid within a period of 15 days from the issuance of sales invoice as specified under the memo.
Under Joint Administrative Order 2014-01, owners who fail to attach authorized or tampered plates shall face a penalty of P5,000. The violation includes attaching any accessory or device to and/or around the plate or any manner of attachment that impedes in any way the visibility or reflectivity of the authorized plate
