MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) have agreed to apprehend drivers using vehicles with special “8” plates, agreeing that this should not be tolerated.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco confirmed the crackdown in a message to reporters on Wednesday, saying he had met with MMDA Acting Chairperson Romando Artes on Tuesday night.
The number eight (8) in the Philippines’ protocol plate design has been used to designate vehicles used by House members.
“Last night, the House of Representatives and the MMDA formally agreed to apprehend the drivers of vehicles bearing ‘8’ plates and confiscate the expired or spurious plates,” Velasco said.
“I met with [MMDA] Acting Chairman Atty. Romando S. Artes, where we discussed that using unauthorized and illegal special plates should not be tolerated as it threatens public safety and undermines the integrity of the vehicle registration system,” he added.
Velasco maintained that the House leadership will uphold the rule of law by ensuring the proper use of these plates.
“The House leadership is committed to upholding the law and ensuring vehicle identification plates’ proper and lawful use,” he added.
Just this Monday, Velasco released to reporters a memorandum dated November 16, recalling all expired and spurious ‘8’ plates given to lawmakers from past Congresses.
He also said that they are talking with MMDA and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to help apprehend vehicles with unauthorized No. 8 vehicle plate numbers.
READ: House to issue new ‘8’ plates to lawmakers
There have been reports that some individuals have been using old No. 8 plates or illegal replicas, or have name-dropped a House member to avoid apprehension for traffic violations.
READ: House wants MMDA, LTO to help run after cars with illegal No. 8 plates