16,000 car plates unredeemed at MMDA, says Tolentino

MANILA, Philippines — What to do with the unredeemed car plates rusting at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority?

MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino said the agency would show the public this week the 16,000 unclaimed license plates of vehicles it has apprehended through the years since 1994.

“These plates were never redeemed by the traffic violators. Imagine, we have 16,000 car plates. Those can be made into a small bridge when melted,” Tolentino said.

Tolentino believed most plates would no longer be claimed, with some of them dating back to 1994.

The MMDA chief, however, noted that the agency still could not decide yet what to do with the plates.

“We can write court administrators if these can be used as evidence in traffic cases or inform the Land Transportation Office about the matter. If possible, we can sell them as souvenir plates like what is being done in the US,” Tolentino said in a text message noting that the unclaimed car plates were proof that the MMDA has been doing its job in enforcing traffic rules.

The license plates have accumulated through time since traffic violators no longer come back to the MMDA to pay the corresponding fines of the violations committed to claim them.

In the MMDA’s practice, the license plates are taken down and detached from the apprehended vehicle by MMDA enforcers whenever the erring drivers or owners refuse to surrender their drivers’ license.

During its anti-smoke-belching driver, enforcers likewise take the car plates instead of the car registration documents or the driver’s license.