LTO unable to meet 2022 backlog deadline at current pace

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is working hard to fulfill the backlog of motorcycle (MC) plate numbers. If your motorcycle was purchased from 2018-onwards, the agency is working on printing your plate number. However, for those with motorcycles older than 2018 models, you’ll likely have to wait a little longer for your plate number.

In a report by state-owned media, People’s Television (PTV), LTO assistant secretary, Edgar Galvante, has confirmed that the agency had already distributed 3-million MC plates since they resumed printing of the doble plaka-compliant plates in Q3 of last year.

However, in order to comply with the 2022 deadline of delivering 18-million plates to the motorcycle riding public, especially to those who purchased their motorcycles in 2018 or prior, the LTO may have to tap an outside contractor to produce the plates and an additional PhP2.5-billion in funding.

Ang kailangang i-produce ay 18 million. Kailangan ng PhP2.5-billion para matugunan ito. Hopefully, maibigay (We need to produce 18 million [motorcycle] number plates. We need PhP2.5-billion in funds to fulfill this. Hopefully, it will be granted),” said Galvante during a virtual briefing on Monday, June 28, 2021.

The LTO also added that the agency’s plate-making facility in Quezon City simply does not have the capacity to produce that huge amount of number plates before the 2022 deadline. Currently, the LTO's plate-making facility has a daily capacity of producing 22,000 number plates for cars and motorcycles combined.

If the requested PhP2.5-billion in additional funding will be granted, 10-million motorcycle plates will be printed through a subcontractor(s) to meet the deadline. Otherwise, we will have to make do with the current capacity and wait several more years for the plates.