LTO to enforce 'no plate, no travel' rule in Central Visayas in August
CEBU CITY – As thousands of license plates remained unclaimed, the Land Transportation Office-Central Visayas announced that it will start the strict implementation of the “no plate, no travel” policy by mid-August.
Glen Galario, regional director of LTO-7, urged vehicle owners, including tricycle operators, to claim their plates or face penalties.
Once the policy is enforced, Galario warned that those caught driving vehicles without license plates or temporary plates will be fined P5,000.
Plates issued from 2018 onwards have long been available, said Galario.
Plates for vehicles registered in 2017 and earlier only began arriving recently due to previous manufacturing and logistics delays, added Galario.
Galario disclosed that over 100,000 license plates have already been delivered to various LTO district offices in the region but thousands remained unclaimed.
In line with the LTO Central Office directives, all remaining plates, especially those from 2017 and earlier, must be released to vehicle owners no later than October.
“We are calling on the vehicle owners to claim their license plates. The strict implementation of the ‘no plate, no travel’ will start by mid-August to force vehicle wonders to claim their plates because this has been a long-standing problem,” Galario said.
Galario said most of the unclaimed plates are for tricycles-for-hire under the Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA), particularly in cities like Mandaue.
Lack of awareness, incomplete documentation, and a disconnect between current drivers and the original vehicle registrants are the common causes behind the delay in claiming plates, Galario said.
Vehicle owners were encouraged to verify the availability of their plates through the official tracker website, ltotracker.ph, or by visiting the nearest LTO branch, Galario said.