Senator Francis Tolentino joined motorcycle riders in urging the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to release their long-delayed official license plates.
“With less than a month to go before the LTO bans the use of temporary license plates lapses, where are the official plates? Nasaan ang plaka?” Tolentino asked, echoing the frustration of millions of riders nationwide who are still using temporary plates due to delays in the LTO’s production and distribution.
On Tuesday, Tolentino joined a protest outisde the Senate, where hundreds of members of the Motorcycle Taxi Community Alliance (MTCA) rallied to draw attention to their issue.
“The deadline is unrealistic and unfair to riders, who will be arrested, fined, and banned from using their motorcycle beginning January 1, 2025. If the LTO cannot produce the official plates, then it should defer the deadline,” the senator from Cavite said.
The LTO had previously extended its deadline from September 1 to December 31 after Tolentino questioned a controversial memorandum issued by the agency. He also criticized the LTO regional office in Cebu for charging riders a P40 fee to extend the use of temporary plates.
“In my inquiries, the LTO admitted that even with their plate manufacturing machines working at full capacity, the agency won’t be able to meet its production backlog for license plates until July, 2025,” he noted.
“My appeal to the LTO is to give our riders a break. Allow them to make an honest living, especially as the holiday season approaches. Don’t penalize them for a problem not of their own making, but was caused by the LTO’s own shortcomings and inefficiency.”
Tolentino is the principal author of Senate Bill No. 2555, which aims to amend discriminatory provisions of Republic Act (RA) 11235, or the “Doble Plaka Law,” against motorcycle riders. The Senate has passed the measure on third and final reading.IMT
