LTO inaugurates license plate-making facility

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade and Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante inspect the plate making facility at the LTO Central Office in Quezon City Tuesday. (PNA photo)

MANILA — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has inaugurated Tuesday its own license plate making plant which will help facilitate the issuance of vehicle license plates to address its backlog.

The facility will enable the LTO to manufacture vehicle plates faster and more efficient, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Its launch has coincided with LTO’s 106th founding anniversary.

“The LTO had a lot on its plate when we took over. There was a huge backlog in license cards, while the court stopped the distribution of plates. Isa-isa nating sinolusyunan ‘yan. Ngayon, may lisensya na at five years pa ang validity. Ngayon, hindi lang basta na-distribute ang mga plaka. Gagawa pa tayo ng sariling plaka (One by one, we are finding solutions. Now, we have driver’s license with five years validity. Now we not only distribute vehicle plates, we would make our own),” DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said as he conducted an inspection of the plant at the LTO Central Office in Quezon City.

DOTr and LTO rolled out seven manual embossing machines which can produce up to 22,000 plates daily. These machines are already calibrated and operational, with one automated embossing machine arriving in July, and set to be operational by August 2018.

The machines will enable LTO to manufacture its own plates rather than outsourcing the service.

Earlier this month, Tugade, along with LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Martin Delgra and other DOTr road sector officials, inspected the plate making machines, which were delivered last Feb. 26, 2018.

The plate-making machines were part of the contract of Trojan Computer Forms Manufacturing Corporation and JH. Tonnjes E.A.S.T. GmbH Joint Venture, who won the contract for the procurement of motor vehicle and motorcycle license plates to address the backlog from July 2016.

Tugade said the DOTr targets to release the plates of those who bought vehicles from July 2016 onwards in August or September this year.