LTO needs P6.8 billion to address license plate backlog

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is in need of funds to address the production backlog of license plates for both four- and two-wheeled vehicles. The LTO is reportedly looking to seek Congress for Php 6.8 billion in funds to ramp up license plate production. 

LTO is seeking funds to address license plate backlog

LTO officer in charge (OIC) Romeo Vera Cruz said that the agency has no issue regarding license plate production. The reason for this is that the LTO has modern plate-making machines to produce the plates. 

“Wala pong problema sa pag-produce ng plaka because we have modern plate-making plant. Kapag mayroon pong plate eh gagawin po natin iyan,” Vera Cruz said.

(There’s no problem in producing the license plates since [LTO] have a modern plate-making plant. Once we have the plates, then we can start the production process.) 

However, for the agency to address the backlog, Vera Cruz explained that the LTO needs the necessary funds. In a report by Inquirer, Vera Cruz said that the agency can address the backlog if the LTO “have the funds.”

“We need funding and only Congress can provide us with funding,” Vera Cruz said.

Vera Cruz added that aside from buying plates, the requested funds will also be allocated to buy spare parts for the agency’s plate-making robot to ensure that it stays running in tip-top shape.

LTO plate-making robot

Last March, the LTO announced that the second plate-making robot is already operational. The said machine is said to have the capability of manufacturing 450 motorcycle license plates per hour. That said, the new machine can produce 7,200 plates a day, which will translate to 158,400 plates in a month, provided that a two-shift per day basis is observed.

The first plate-making robot was acquired by the LTO in 2019. With the second machine already in play, both machines are expected to ramp up the license plate production.

As of April 2022, the LTO National Capital Region (NCR) – East released a list of replacement license plates that are ready for rollout. The full list can be viewed on the LTO NCR East website. The list is divided into several spreadsheets, so viewing them via a laptop or desktop is recommended.

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