LTO supplier hit for thousands of undelivered license plates

A LAWMAKER blew his top after learning that thousands of new “smart” license plates are still undelivered to vehicle owners.

During the hearing of the House committee on Metro Manila Development Tuesday, Quezon City Rep. Jose Christopher “Kit” Belmonte vent his anger at the supplier for failing to deliver the new license plates that are part of the P3.8-billion project.

Belmonte said he himself is among those still without the new license plates which supposedly come with security features.

The lawmaker also rebuked Atty. Ron Salo, corporate secretary for the license plate supplier Power Plates Development Concepts Inc. and J. Knieriem BV-Goes (JKG) joint venture, when the latter said it is only following the contract for the license plates delivery and it had nothing to do with the delay.

Salo was then answering a question by panel chair Quezon city Rep. Winston Castelo, who asked why the contract was only for 2013 to 2018 which would defeat the purpose of a standardized plate system.

“Pursuant to the contract, we supplied based on the time table and it is up to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to deliver these… We respectfully reiterate our commitment to government. (The contract) specifies that it should be delivered in a timetable of five years. With respect to your comment that it should be delivered in one sweep, there is no basis in the contract… We cannot deliver beyond those that had been ordered,” Salo said.

“Parang hugas kamay kayo. What you’re saying is may kontrata kaya safe kayo,” Belmonte said.

Dressed simply in a gray shirt, Belmonte said he is among the thousands of Filipinos plying the street still with the old vehicle plates even if they had paid for the new ones.

“Nasaan na ang plaka? Bakit ngayon wala pa ang plaka niya, ang plaka ko, ang plaka ng maraming tao?” Belmonte said.

Belmonte said the LTO should not be blamed for the suppliers’ failure to complete the delivery of license plates.

LTO administration division chief Maribel Salazar said that at least 172,083 motor vehicle plates are still undelivered of the total required delivery of 660,021 plates for the first half of 2015.

But she said more than three quarters or 487,938 license plates have been delivered from January to June this year.

“Marami pa ang kulang, pero marami naman na ang na-deliver. Percentage wise, naka-deliver na ng almost 73.92 percent for our requirement from January to June,” Salazar said.

The P3.8-billion contract with joint venture Power Plates Development Concepts Inc. and Dutch firm J. Knierem BV-Goes was inked as early as 2013. But the LTO and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) formally released the new license plates just this January to replace the old and existing 16 million vehicle plates.

DOTC Undersecretary Jose Lotilla told lawmakers in the hearing that the delay was due to port congestion.

He said port congestion is one of the risks of importing the license plates from the manufacturers in The Netherlands.

But the license plates need to be manufactured abroad because the country has no facilities for the manufacture of the plates, which have a black and white design, tamper-resistant locks and screws, and reflectorized sheeting, Lotilla added.

“There was a delay in delivery partially because of port congestion. Dumating ang barko sa port, di makadaong agad… (This is) a risk associated with the delivery of imported plates,” Lotilla said.

Castelo said manufacturing the license plates in the country would have given jobs to Filipinos. Lotilla said the DOTC is looking at requiring the contractor to manufacture the plates in the country soon.

Meanwhile, LTO Executive Director Giovanni Gonzales said it has sought the help of the Department of Science and Technology to further check the quality of the new plates following reports that these get deformed during floods.

Congressmen have criticized the license plates project as an unnecessary “racket” within the LTO, with every administration changing license plates to the detriment of the riding public.

Each license plate costs P450 for four-wheel vehicles and P120 for tricycles and motorcycles.