LTO: All temporary, improvised license plates will be subject to P5,000 fine starting November
The use of improvised and temporary plates will be prohibited by the Land Transportation Office beginning Nov. 1, with violators automatically facing a fine of P5,000.
According to LTO chief, assistant secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II. motorists with these unofficial plates can no longer justify their use as there is now enough supply of license plates for both four-wheel vehicles and motorcycles.
“Kaya sa hindi pa nakukuha ang kanilang mga plaka, we advise them to do so in order to avoid any inconvenience with regard to the strict implementation of this policy. Let us take advantage of the entire month of October to do so,” he said in a statement posted on LTO's Facebook page.
According to the LTO, this directive is aligned with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s instruction to immediately address all issues connected to license plates.
Once the policy is implemented, Mendoza said LTO enforcers and other personnel deputized to enforce traffic rules will be tasked to apprehend violators. Aside from having to pay a fine of P5,000 as authorized by Joint Administrative Order 2014-001, motorists caught using temporary or improvised plates will also have to surrender said plates.
In addition, Mendoza said the registration of vehicles with illegal plates will not be renewed.
However, there may be cases where the LTO will authorize the use of improvised plates. In those instances, the authorization should be signed by the LTO office that processed the request for a duplicate plate. The temporary plate must also display the vehicle’s assigned plate number with the words “improvised plate” clearly printed below it.
Complementing this policy is LTO’s existing program that ensures the availability of the OR/CR (official receipt, certificate of registration) and license plates upon release of a newly bought motor vehicle.