Piston derides LTO’s new license plate scheme
MANILA, Philippines—The Land Transportation Office should (LTO) junk the issuance of the new standard motor vehicle plates which are “illegal and prone to corruption,” a transport group said Wednesday.
George San Mateo, national president of transport group Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) maintained that there was no reason to require vehicle owners to change their old license plates into new plates and pay extra for a replacement since they have paid for the old ones.
“Papapalitan mo ‘yung plaka ko with the same plate number, yet sisingilin mo ako ng P450?” San Mateo said during a rally at the LTO Office in Quezon City.
(You will require me to change my old plate to the same plate number and you will charge me P450 for it?)
Since 2014, the LTO has been issuing new license plates to vehicles being registered for the first time and will require vehicle owners to change their old plates into a new plate and pay P450 for a replacement starting this January.
LTO, under the said program, will charge P450 per license plate for four-wheel motor vehicles and P120 for motorcycles and tricycles.
San Mateo questioned why vehicle owners were required to have new plates when they could use the old ones they already paid for.
But Transportation Secretary Abaya earlier said the new plates have security features that could help detect colorum or out of line vehicles.
San Mateo, however, disagreed.
“Yung security features na pinagmamalaki ni Secretary Abaya, paano mo mapapatupad ‘yan e ‘yung IT provider na Stradcom e luma na ‘yung system nila? ‘Di na configured,” he said.
(How can they use the security features that Secretary Abaya is harping about when their IT provider Stradcom uses an outdated system? It is no longer configured.)
San Mateo challenged the LTO to stop charging motorists who are renewing their old plates.
“Pinapanawagan po namin na ibasura ang proyektong ‘yan. Corruption po ang lahat. Dambuhalang kita po iyan,” he said, citing the more than 8 million motor vehicles in the Philippines.
(We are calling for that project’s junking. It’s all a scheme for corruption. That will result in massive kickbacks (for the government).)
Abaya earlier said the issuance of new standard plates is not a money-making scheme, but a public service.
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