LTO: Still zero backlog for motorcycles, other vehicles’ plates

MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has maintained zero backlog for motorcycle and motor vehicle (MV) plates, officials told the House of Representatives on Monday.

LTO Executive Director Martin Ontog told the House committee on transportation that the agency previously had a backlog of 11.4 million motorcycle plates, 2.39 million replacement plates for old motor vehicles, and nearly 246,000 plates for new motor vehicles in 2022 — all of which had been reduced to zero as of May 20, 2026.

Ontog’s assurance came nearly a year after former Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said the backlog had been eliminated.

“For the information of this honorable committee, the updates on motor vehicle and motorcycle plates as of June 30, 2022, are the following: in 2022, there was a backlog of 11,410,046 motorcycle plates; for replacement motor vehicle plates, 2,391,598 pairs; and a backlog of 245,975 pairs of motor vehicle plates,” Ontog said.

“According to the status of these backlogs, as of May 20, 2026, as we can see in the presentation, Mr. Chair, there are no more remaining backlogs. This is attributable mainly to the 1,710,684 pieces previously identified as inactive, which were considered junk motorcycle plates and were also deducted from the remaining backlog,” he added.

READ: Over 1.7M motor plates have already been distributed across PH — LTO

Ontog also said the winning bidder tapped to supply the LTO with plates, Trojan Tonnes Philippines Inc., has delivered blank motorcycle plates and motor vehicle plates.

“For motorcycle blank plates, they have already delivered 568,770 pieces, and we have 425,100 pieces on hand. For motor vehicle blank plates, the balance to be delivered is 509,768, and we already have 135,000 pairs on hand,” he said.

“At the LTO … we achieved zero backlog of motorcycle plates by June 30, 2025, and zero backlog of motor vehicle plates by May 20, 2026,” he added.

Regarding driver’s license cards, Ontog said current inventory levels are sufficient to meet demand for new cards within the year.

“For driver’s license cards nationwide, there is currently no backlog as well, and all pending requirements have been adequately addressed. Based on existing inventory levels and projected utilization, the available stock is expected to be sufficient to meet the operational requirements of the LTO for calendar year 2026 without any anticipated shortages,” he noted.

The shortage of vehicle plates has been a longstanding problem for the LTO since the agency adopted a redesigned version of the plates.

In July 2023, documents from the Commission on Audit (COA) showed that more than 1.7 million automobile license plates, which motorists paid for in 2015, had yet to be delivered by the LTO.

In its 2022 audit report on the Department of Transportation, the mother agency of the LTO, the COA said the replacement plates were worth around P808.7 million and had not been delivered to various LTO regional offices.

Motorists were charged replacement plate fees in 2015 following a redesign that changed the old plates, which featured a statue of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal in the middle with a skyline in the background, to the current two-tone design.

“In 2014, Memorandum Circular No. AVT-1895 dated December 11, 2014 was issued requiring all four-wheeled motor vehicles renewing their registration to apply for replacement of their old license plates under the new Motor Vehicle License Plates Standardization Program (MVLPSP),” COA said.

“Pursuant thereto, registered owners of motor vehicles were made to pay for replacement plates when they renewed their motor vehicle registration in calendar year 2015. Seven years since then, the LTO has yet to fully produce and deliver all the replacement plates,” it added.

READ: LTO fails to deliver 1.7 million license plates paid by motorists in 2015 – COA

In February 2024, then-LTO Property Section Head Clarissa Ogsimer said the agency’s vehicle plate-making plant would shift to a 24-hour operating schedule to address the backlog.

Ogsimer said the move increased daily output from 38,000 plates to 48,600 plates, after the plant had previously been producing only 28,000 plates a day.

READ: LTO plate-making plant to operate 24 hours to address backlog

READ: LTO extends expiring licenses, waives penalties

Regarding driver’s license cards, lawmakers in 2023 asked House panels to investigate the shortage of plastic cards, saying it had inconvenienced people who needed the identification cards.

In April 2023, the LTO confirmed that around 5.2 million driver’s license holders would be issued temporary permits printed on paper due to the shortage of plastic cards. Former Assistant Secretary Jay Art Tugade said during a press conference that the LTO had only around 147,000 plastic cards in its inventory.

The LTO eventually announced that it would extend the validity of licenses expiring from April 24 to Oct. 31 while waiving penalties. /mcm