LTO Clears Decade-Long License Plate Backlog, Shifts Focus to Distribution

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has officially cleared its backlog of license plates dating back to 2014.

According to LTO Executive Director Atty. Greg Pua, the agency completed the production of all pending vehicle plates by the second week of July after ramping up operations over the past two years.

As of June 30 this year, a total of 18,578,612 license plates had been produced, including both backlogs and current plate requirements.

“7.5 (million license plate) ang nakikita nating kailangang i-distribute sa mga motorista,” Pua said in a DZMM interview.

As announced during the recent State of the Nation Address, all new vehicles are now expected to receive their license plates within three days.

The LTO has also rolled out its “Stop, Plate and Go” program, where motorcycles without plates are stopped by enforcers, checked on the spot, and issued their plates immediately.

“Pag nakita namin na walang plaka, paparahin, ibe-verify…pagnakita na available ang plaka doon, ikakabit na, tapos pwede nang umalis ‘yung motorista. Huwag silang matakot dahil hindi ito panghuhuli,” Pua explained.

To speed up distribution, the LTO is working with local government units across the country. The agency aims to release all 7.5 million plates by October 31, 2025, targeting the issuance of 100,000 plates per day.