MOTORCYCLE owners mostly belong to the lower segment of society since these two-wheelers are considerably cheaper than automobile sedans and sports utility vehicles. The number of motorcyclists using the roads of Metro Manila and adjoining provinces in Luzon has increased by leaps and bounds because of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, when many Filipinos depended on online shopping and food deliveries to refrain from leaving their homes.
Such changes in commerce, marketing and buying behavior have resulted in the proliferation of motorcycles and their taking over the roads in a big way. This situation was further abetted by the influx of cheap motorcycles from China, and the easy installment plans offered by their sellers.
This change in the urban traffic landscape was further messed up when criminals discovered that these sleek two-wheelers can be great escape vehicles in weaving through heavy traffic following an ambush, or during a chase. The government stepped in to discourage criminals and passed a law requiring big, double license plates for motorcycles, which is now being refined.
‘Tolentino asked the LTO to give the riders a break, allow them to make an honest living, especially as the holiday season approaches.’
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) cannot cope with the demand, and so it agreed to honor temporary license plates until the end of the year. Beginning January 1, 2025, however, this office will start arresting users of temporary plates and imposing fines, despite the fact that the agency itself cannot produce and deliver the required permanent plates to vehicle owners.
Early this week, the motorcyclists conducted a rally at the Senate and other offices asking the LTO, “Nasaan ang plaka? (Where are the plates?)”
In a privilege speech last Tuesday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino appealed to the LTO to defer its implementation of the ban on motorcycles’ use of temporary license plates on January 1, 2025.
“With less than a month to go before the LTO bans the use of temporary license plates lapses, where are the official plates? Nasaan ang plaka? The deadline is unrealistic and unfair to riders, who will be arrested, fined, and banned from using their motorcycle beginning January 1, 2025. If the LTO cannot produce the official plates, then it should defer the deadline,” he stressed.
In July, the LTO issued a memorandum circular that provides, “The use of temporary plates, reflecting the MV File Number shall only be allowed for motorcycles purchased before 01 January 2023.”
It was disclosed by the senator that LTO admitted that even with their plate manufacturing machines working at full capacity, the agency won’t be able to meet its production backlog for license plates until July 2025.
Tolentino asked the LTO to give the riders a break, allow them to make an honest living, especially as the holiday season approaches. Don’t penalize them for a problem not of their own making, but was caused by the LTO’s shortcomings and inefficiency.
The Senate has passed on third and final reading Senate Bill 2555, which seeks to amend the so-called discriminatory provisions of Republic Act 11235 or the “Doble Plaka Law.”
Tolentino is the principal sponsor and author of the measure.
We recognize the merits of Senator Tolentino’s appeal to the LTO, and his clear bias for the delivery men who depend on their motorcycles in eking out a living from day to day.
We are confident that the LTO will consider the senator’s request.
