At a press conference held Tuesday this week, the Land Transportation Office announced that it will be cracking down on motorists using fake plates that closely mimic the design of legitimate government-issued plates.
Starting September 1, the agency will carry out operations to impound vehicles with fake plates. On the other hand, for motorists authorized to use improvised plates, the LTO rules that this authorization does not include counterfeit plates and that those must be confiscated.
LTO chief Markus Lacanilao notes that his office has observed the growing popularity of online shops that offer almost exact replicas of official license plates. These counterfeits closely follow the LTO’s own official license plate specs for both two- and four-wheel vehicles, down to the small QR code printed on the corner.
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Lacanilao reiterates that the LTO strictly prohibits the manufacturing of plates that copy those issued by the agency, and has never given out authorization to do so. He also likens the production and use of these to the forgery of other official documents such as driver’s licenses or passports.
The crackdown will be carried out in coordination with various agencies involved in law enforcement and information technology. Besides motorists attaching fake plates to their vehicles, the LTO will also be going after the online sellers that peddle these counterfeits. Lacanilao has also directed the LTO to expedite processing for authorization to use improvised plates filed by motorists with lost or damaged plates.
This directive follows after the case of a Porsche 918 Spyder spotted crusising in EDSA was discovered to be using fake plates. A show cause order was issued to the registered owner and the driver of the hypercar, who have since surrendered to the LTO. The 918 has also been impounded.
