LTO needs P2.5 B to address 18 million motorcycle plates backlog

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) needs P2.5 billion to address the backlog in producing around 18 million motorcycle plates until the end of the Duterte administration next year,  LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante said Monday.

At least three million plates were earlier distributed nationwide.

“Inumpisahan natin ito para sa motorcycles registered simula ng 2018 pataas. At iyon namang below 2018 - meaning 2017 and earlier - hinahangad po nating ma-manufacture a little later. Ang projection natin diyan by 2022 eh ang kailangan nating mai-produce na motorcycle plate is around 18 million,” Galvante said during the Laging Handa briefing.

(Those registered 2017 and earlier will be manufactured a little later. Our projection is we can produce 18 million motorcycle plates by 2022.)

“Hindi po kakayanin sa natitirang panahon para matugunan ang pangangailangang ito. Kaya plinano po ng LTO at ng DOTr na iyong pababa po - from 2017 pababa - pagawa na po natin sa ibang mga manufacturers ng plate kung saan kakailanganin po namin ng halagang about P2.5 billion para matugunan po ito,” he added.

(The LTO cannot do this given such timeline so we want to outsource the manufacturing of the motorcycle plates for 2017 and earlier and that will cost P2.5 billion.)

Galvante said the production of 18 million motorcycle plates has been delayed since the equipment needed for such, which will be installed by engineers from Germany and Netherlands, have not been delivered to the country due to the border restrictions brought by COVID-19 pandemic.

“Kung maibibigay iyong kaukulang pondo para ma-cover-an ito, sa palagay namin magagawa po iyon. Dahil hindi lang po ang LTO plate-making plant ang gagawa noong plaka kundi iyon na rin pong maaring manalo na mag-supply para dito sa ibang plaka,” he added.

(If we will get the funding we need, we can finish the job because we will have another supplier.)

Galvante said the LTO is eyeing to outsource printing of at least 10 million motorcycle plates.

"Hopefully maibigay para magamit ang pondo para i-contract out ang number ng plaka na hindi natin magagawa," Galvante said.

(We are really hoping that we will be granted the needed fund for this for us to contract out the 10 million motorcycle plates.)—LDF, GMA News