Stop using commemorative license plates, LTO says

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has warned the motoring public to stop using unauthorized commemorative license plates.

LTO wants motorists to stop using unauthorized commemorative plates

This announcement came about after a photo of a Honda Jazz with a commemorative license plate bearing the letters "PNPA" was posted on the "Philippine National Police Academy - Justice, Integrity, Service" Facebook page.

The administrators of the Facebook group warned the public of the presence of "unscrupulous people that are neither directly connected to nor a graduate of PNPA using commemorative plates, badges, emblems, and stickers that are violative of traffic and other laws." 

For LTO's part, the agency said that the current administration has not recommended commemorative license plates to be issued to motorists. Also, the current administration didn't recommend the approval of any commemorative license plate that bears the letters "PNPA."

A commemorative license plate is usually issued for limited use for the observance or commemoration of events that bear national significance. Moreover, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) only gives one-year validity for these plates. The LTO is imposing hefty fines for those who use unauthorized commemorative license plates past their validity. 

Improper use of commemorative license plates can lead to hefty fines

"The current administration of the LTO has not recommended commemorative license plates to be issued to motor vehicle owners, thus its use is therefore prohibited," said LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Jose Arturo "Jay Art" Tugade.

"If vehicle owners are caught by law enforcers still using commemorative plates whose effectivity dates have already expired, they will be apprehended and fined," added Tugade.

Under the DOTC Joint Administrative Circular No. 2014-01, the use of such plates carry a fine of Php 5,000 and confiscation of the plate. Commemorative license plates shouldn't also be used to intimidate traffic enforcers and stop them from making apprehensions for traffic violations.

For those LTO license plates affected by the infamous backlogs, the agency assured that 90 percent will be completed by 2023. It even launched a second plate-making robot earlier this year to ramp up the production of license plates.

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