There is a new design of plate numbers for foreign diplomats and other members of diplomatic missions in the Philippines.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday it partnered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in launching a new format for diplomats' plate numbers "for a more viable license plate assignment scheme for the Diplomatic Missions, Consular Missions, and accredited International Organizations based in the Philippines."
The revised diplomatic license plate bears blue numeric characters on white reflectorized background and a blue line frame.
It has a total of seven numeric characters, with a space in between the third and fourth number.
According to DFA, old diplomatic license plates and other exempted vehicles (OEV) plates from the previous system will be valid only up to September 2023.
This, as the DFA and the LTO allow a transitory period of one year from September 2022.
Diplomatic vehicles with diplomatic plates are exempted from the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority—or the number coding scheme—to allow their unimpeded passage on local roads.
However, vehicles bearing diplomatic plates and their drivers are subject to existing traffic rules and regulations and are, therefore, subject to traffic fines once a violation is proven, the DFA added.