Issue new plates in 3 days, LTO told
(UPDATE) TRANSPORTATION Secretary Vince Dizon is turning up the heat on the Land Transportation Office (LTO), demanding a drastic improvement in the agency's sluggish processing of license plates. Just a week after slamming the slow rollout of plates, Dizon on Tuesday challenged the LTO to release plates for newly registered vehicles within three working days. "Can we make sure that moving forward, that won't happen again? Can we ensure that in 24, 48, or 72 hours, they get their plates? Both motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles. We will post that challenge and see if the LTO can deliver," Dizon said. The DOTr chief also pressed the LTO to resolve its massive backlog of more than 9 million unissued motorcycle plates dating back to 2014. The Commission on Audit (COA) recently exposed the scale of the problem, revealing in its latest report that over 9.1 million motorcycle plates remained undelivered as of 2023. COA attributed the backlog to insufficient funding, procurement delays, and logistical lapses, noting that many registrants have already paid for their plates but were still waiting years later. In addition to motorcycle plates, COA found that 1.69 million pairs of motor vehicle replacement plates — paid for by registrants as early as 2015 — have yet to be produced and distributed. These undelivered plates amount to a staggering P763.55 million in fees collected without fulfillment. Dizon made it clear that accountability is now the name of the game. He announced plans to set strict deadlines for the LTO, stating that without a clear timeframe, inefficiencies will persist. "Because if there's no deadline, naturally, you'll just take it easy and won't feel any pressure. But if there's a deadline, at the very least, you'll be driven to push forward," he said. The LTO has acknowledged the issue and stated it is following up on a pending request for P2.1 billion from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to fully clear the backlog for motorcycles registered between 2014 and 2022. State auditors have urged the LTO to accelerate production and distribution efforts, stressing the need to ensure that all registered vehicles receive their rightful plates. COA also recommended that the LTO collaborate with DBM for the swift release of funds and explore additional measures to prevent future delays. Meanwhile, the Akbayan Party-list on Wednesday welcomed Dizon's openness to extend the operating hours of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3). The party-list had called for the extension of the train lines' operating hours to midnight. "We are glad over the openness being shown by Secretary Dizon to our call to already extend the operating hours of the MRT and LRT for the benefit of commuters, especially BPO (business process outsourcing) and night shift workers," Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña said in Filipino and English. Sen. Grace Poe lauded Dizon for heeding the Senate's call for a review of the public transport modernization program. The senator said she has been asking the Department of Transportation for the past seven years to improve the program before imposing any deadlines.
Tomas Kauer - Moderator 
(UPDATE) TRANSPORTATION Secretary Vince Dizon is turning up the heat on the Land Transportation Office (LTO), demanding a drastic improvement in the agency's sluggish processing of license plates.
Just a week after slamming the slow rollout of plates, Dizon on Tuesday challenged the LTO to release plates for newly registered vehicles within three working days.
"Can we make sure that moving forward, that won't happen again? Can we ensure that in 24, 48, or 72 hours, they get their plates? Both motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles. We will post that challenge and see if the LTO can deliver," Dizon said.
The DOTr chief also pressed the LTO to resolve its massive backlog of more than 9 million unissued motorcycle plates dating back to 2014.
The Commission on Audit (COA) recently exposed the scale of the problem, revealing in its latest report that over 9.1 million motorcycle plates remained undelivered as of 2023.
COA attributed the backlog to insufficient funding, procurement delays, and logistical lapses, noting that many registrants have already paid for their plates but were still waiting years later.
In addition to motorcycle plates, COA found that 1.69 million pairs of motor vehicle replacement plates — paid for by registrants as early as 2015 — have yet to be produced and distributed. These undelivered plates amount to a staggering P763.55 million in fees collected without fulfillment.
Dizon made it clear that accountability is now the name of the game. He announced plans to set strict deadlines for the LTO, stating that without a clear timeframe, inefficiencies will persist.
"Because if there's no deadline, naturally, you'll just take it easy and won't feel any pressure. But if there's a deadline, at the very least, you'll be driven to push forward," he said.
The LTO has acknowledged the issue and stated it is following up on a pending request for P2.1 billion from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to fully clear the backlog for motorcycles registered between 2014 and 2022.
State auditors have urged the LTO to accelerate production and distribution efforts, stressing the need to ensure that all registered vehicles receive their rightful plates. COA also recommended that the LTO collaborate with DBM for the swift release of funds and explore additional measures to prevent future delays.
Meanwhile, the Akbayan Party-list on Wednesday welcomed Dizon's openness to extend the operating hours of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3). The party-list had called for the extension of the train lines' operating hours to midnight.
"We are glad over the openness being shown by Secretary Dizon to our call to already extend the operating hours of the MRT and LRT for the benefit of commuters, especially BPO (business process outsourcing) and night shift workers," Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña said in Filipino and English.
Sen. Grace Poe lauded Dizon for heeding the Senate's call for a review of the public transport modernization program. The senator said she has been asking the Department of Transportation for the past seven years to improve the program before imposing any deadlines.
