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Undelivered motorcycle license plates stood at 8.1M in 2020 — COA

Some 8.1 million motorcycle license plates remained undelivered to their owners as of last year, the Commission on Audit (COA) said, citing lapses on the part of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

In its latest audit report, the COA said various circumstances caused delays in the procurement of plates, resulting in the non-delivery of 8,120,837 pieces of motorcycle and 2,632,302 pairs of replacement motor vehicle license plates from 2014 to 2020.

State auditors said the undelivered plates are worth P2.159 billion.

“Further, the undelivered replacement plates indicated lapses in the performance by the LTO management of one of its mandates, thus depriving the registrants of their right to receive the plates they have paid for and affecting the efficient apprehension of the traffic violators,” the COA said.

It recommended to the LTO management to expedite the production of the backlog in the motorcycle license plates and replacement motor vehicle plates and subsequently issue the same to the respective registrants nationwide.

In response, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said 790,725 pairs of replacement motor vehicle plates were delivered as of June 7, 2021 to the LTO district offices for distribution to the dealers and issuance to the registered owners.

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“Currently, they are producing both the backlog and current motorcycle plates,” the COA said.

The COA said it would monitor the progress of the DOTr's commitment to fast-track the production of backlog motorcycle plates.

Last March, Senator Richard Gordon warned former and current transportation officials that they could face criminal charges over the delay in the issuance of license plates.

Gordon chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, which conducted hearings in connection with the implementation of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act. — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News