LAND Transportation Office (LTO) chief Vigor Mendoza II on Thursday called on motor vehicle dealers to release all license plates in their possession as soon as possible to their rightful owners.
“On the part of the LTO, I can assure you that there is no longer a backlog on the license plates for four-wheel vehicles. The problem, however, is that these license plates are not properly distributed and remain in the possession of the motor vehicle dealers,” he said.
The LTO chief said the agency conducted a surprise inspection of a car dealer in Quezon City and was taken aback to discover that about 600 pairs of plates remained undistributed to its clients. He sought an explanation from the concerned car dealer.
He vowed to make a series of regular inspections on the other dealers to check on the status of the license plates of buyers of brand-new vehicles, and to identify the problems on why they are not being distributed.
Citing a recent study, he said some of the motorists are no longer interested in claiming their license plates since they can still travel even without them.
He said such a situation has pushed the LTO to strictly implement the no-plate, no-travel policy.
The policy is expected to be implemented within this year, the LTO said.
Mendoza said he has already instructed agency officials to work together with the motor vehicle dealers as well as with the local government units for the distribution of the unclaimed plates.
“We need to work together in complying with our respective obligations to our clients. If we can do it today, why wait for tomorrow to do so?” he asked.
