The Land Transportation Office’s (LTO) problem with the license plates of more than 18 million registered motorcycles in the country is far from over. This was what LTO chief Edgar Galvante admitted to the House Committee on Appropriations during the 2022 budget deliberation for the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
“Ang malaki po naming problem ay yung sa motorcycles. Sa projection po ng LTO, kailangan ng 18 million plates hanggang June 30, 2022. Bagamat humingi po tayo ng pondo, sa masamang palad, hindi po tayo napagbigyan dito,” Galvante explained.
The LTO chief shared that the agency had already distributed around 3.6 million license plates based on the provisions of the Republic Act No. 11325, otherwise known as the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act. He said the plates produced by the plate-making plant at the LTO’s Quezon City main office—which can churn out 22,000 units daily under normal operations—were distributed to motorbike owners that registered from July 2016 up to the present.
However, the bulk of license plates for motorbikes registered before June 30, 2016, is yet to be produced by the agency. Galvante pointed to serious budget constraints as their biggest challenge in addressing the issue. Considering the huge backlog, he said it would be impossible to avert the plate shortage unless they enlist the help of another contractor.
“Habang ginagawa ng LTO yung plaka na kaya ng capacity ng planta, magpapatuloy po ito. At yun namang kabuuan, yung mas malaki ang volume, ipapa-contract out natin ito para magawa yung plaka,” Galvante emphasized.
Back in June, Galvante said that the LTO would need around P2.8 billion to clear its motorcycle-plate backlog, which at that time stood at 18 million units. The DOTr clarified later on that the amount wouldn’t be passed on to motorists.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopBikes.ph. Minor edits have been made.
