MANILA — If your vehicle’s license plate is still nowhere in sight, the problem may no longer be with the Land Transportation Office.

The LTO said it has already cleared its backlog of official license plates, putting the spotlight on vehicle dealers who may be holding plates that are already ready for release to registered owners.

The agency made the clarification as it steps up its nationwide crackdown on improvised and temporary plates being sold through online shopping platforms.

“In some cases, dealers have already received the license plates but did not inform the registered owners that they were ready for release,” the LTO announced.

There are also instances, the agency said, where motorists are told that their plates have not yet arrived at the dealership—even after the LTO has already turned them over.

HOW THE PLATES GET TO OWNERS

The distribution process begins at the LTO central office in Quezon City, where license plates are delivered before being dispatched to regional offices.

From there, the plates are sent to district offices, which turn them over to authorized representatives of vehicle dealers. Representatives are required to sign receipts acknowledging receipt of the plates.

That receipt, the LTO said, serves as proof that the plates have already been handed over.

What happens next is the dealer’s responsibility.

“[T]he subsequent release to the registered owner is the dealer’s responsibility,” the agency said.

The issue has long frustrated motorists, particularly motorcycle owners.

In an online exchange last week, Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong Secretary General Don Pangan said delayed plate releases remain a common problem among riders buying new motorcycles.

“Dapat nilang ma-resolba ang problema ng delayed na pagre-release ng mga dealers ng plaka sa mga bagong bili,” Pangan said.

The group also urged the LTO to ensure that official plates have actually reached vehicle owners before penalizing motorists for using improvised or temporary plates.

STILL WAITING FOR YOUR PLATE?

The LTO Communications Office advised vehicle owners who are still waiting to coordinate first with their dealer or the nearest LTO office to verify the status of their plates.

Motorists in Metro Manila can also use the searchable plate trackers provided by the LTO National Capital Region.

If the LTO has already released the plate to the dealer but the dealer refuses or fails to turn it over to the registered owner, motorists can report the matter through the LTO’s official Facebook page, the I-Report Mo Kay LTO Chief Facebook page, or its reporting website.

The LTO said it will verify complaints and coordinate with the concerned dealer to facilitate the release of the plates.

The clarification comes as the agency intensifies enforcement against fake, unauthorized and improvised plates.

The crackdown gained renewed attention after a multimillion-peso Porsche sports car linked to an actor and a businessman was found using a fake plate that did not correspond with its actual registration.

For motorists still waiting for their official plates, the LTO urges the public to check first, verify the status—and find out where the plate is before hitting the road with an unauthorized one.