APRIL 1, 2015–the date when dark days befell new car owners. This writer even remembers a friend who could not take delight in the long rest days of Holy Week to go out with his family since he was held hostage at home by the hollow “no plate, no travel” policy. Just like him, the public was enraged—surely.
Since then, there has been a “tennis match” between the Land Transportation Office (LTO)-Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) tandem, and car dealers on the issue of who was at fault in the delay of registrations, as well as the supply of car license plates.
Today, after a series of hearings conducted at the Senate, the LTO lost on match-point and has finally given way to public calls to suspend its no plate, no travel policy. This trashed scheme would then be replaced by the “no registration, no travel” arrangement.
Peer pressure
This scribe assumes that the sudden change of stand is due to the pressure from lawmakers. According to various sources, Sen. JV Ejercito, for one, said that the no plate, no travel policy could no longer be put into effect given the shortage of new plates. “No plate, no travel. Hindi na iyan in effect dahil hindi naman kasalanan iyan ng consumers,” he shared.
During the joint hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon and Public Services committees held last week, Sen.Alan Peter Cayetano disclosed that he had misgivings with the additional P50 that motorists were made to pay for registration stickers on top of the P450 fee for the license plates.
“With 8 million new vehicle license plates to be issued, this would amount to a P400-million profit,” said Cayetano, who was obviously suspicious about the rudiments of the agency’s flawed scheme.
With this, he frankly said that the contractor owes the government P400 million which should be returned to the people.
Meanwhile, Sen. Ralph Recto agreed and said he saw no gain in the LTO’s P3.8-billion purchase of new motor vehicle plates, which has become “an extra expense” to motorists, questioning further the bidding process initiated by the DOTC in 2013.
Recto even emphasized that, at that time, the DOTC only had a P187-million budget for the project, adding there is no real new additional security features in the new plates.
“This is what it appears to me and many others.
This appears to be a business that we gave to the new supplier [who requires that] we should replace all license plates and the people would spend for it even if they don’t need it. If it’s needed at all, it should be for new vehicles only,” he further stressed.
This is not the end
Cayetano, for his part, may welcome the agency’s move for finally finding a solution to address concerns that plagued motorists after the LTO admitted encountering problems with its license plate management. “While we commend LTO’s suspension of its no plate, no travel policy, it does not end here,” he said.
The senator vowed to the public that he would continue to closely monitor the issue and other problems “to guard the public against any government inefficiency.”
Cayetano also stressed the LTO failed to clarify the guidelines of its regulation to law enforcers on the ground. According to the Senate majority leader, no fine should be imposed if a motorist can present an official receipt and vehicle registration papers.
“The public should not in any way be burdened by what is clearly a product of the LTO’s and the plate contractor’s failure to deliver and process plates on new vehicles,” he said.
Image credits: Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes
1 comment
LTO severely lacks at the top people with honest to goodness desire to make the LTO an efficient and vehicle user friendly government agency.