LTO says new motorcycle plates will not be made of metal

The new license plates for motorcycles will not be made of steel as believed by several biker groups, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) said on Tuesday.

"There's no provision in the law that states the plate should be made of sheet metal. It should just be sturdy enough and readable from a distance of 15 meters," Transportation Assistant Secretary and LTO chief Edgar Galvante said in a press conference in Quezon City.

"Hindi tama ang sinasabi nila na ang gagawing materyal sa harap ay metal. Wala naman pong sinasabi sa batas na metal ang gagamitin," he said.

Early this month, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11235 or the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, which mandates LTO to issue bigger, readable and color-coded license plates to every motorcycle in the country. 

The law aims to stop crimes committed by men riding in tandem on motorcycles.

The plate numbers should be big enough to be readable from a distance of at least 15 meters from the motorcycle.

The law also requires LTO to devise a color scheme of the plate numbers for every region to easily identify where a motorcycle was registered.

The readable number plates must be displayed in both the front and back sides of the motorcycle and should be made of suitable and durable material as determined by the LTO.

Motorcycle riders have been protesting against the new law, saying this is discriminatory and may compromise road safety for both riders and pedestrians.

Galvante, however, said the LTO is now in the process of crafting the law's implementing rules and regulations which will be done in consultation with the public, particularly motorcycle riders.

The agency should issue the implementing rules within 90 days from the signing of the law.

The LTO chief noted that a technical working group is now working on the design and studying what material the plates will be made of.

For his part, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the Department of Transportation welcomes any suggestions from concerned parties.

"Ang pinanghuhugutan po ng ating pamahalaan, ito 'yung tawag ng safety ng riders, safety ng drivers at seguriddad ng kalsada," Tugade said. —KG, GMA News