Hefty fines await new plate violators

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.
New vehicle owners were warned that they face a fine of P5,000 if they do not attach the new plates on their vehicles.
In an interview with Edge Davao yesterday, LTO 11 operations divisions chief Eleanor Calderon reminded new owners that they should not drive their vehicles if the new plates are not attached yet.
She said if the vehicle was not registered since date of purchase, the owner will fined the even bigger amount of P10,000.
“We have so many plates available for brand new cars,” she said, adding the owners must claim the new plates from their respective car dealers.
Calderon said all the vehicles purchased from February 16, 2014 up to the present need to have the new plates attached.
“Kung dili nila mabutang ang plaka ana, pasabot ana wala nila gikuha kay wala gud mi nagkulang (If they cannot attach the new plate, it simply means that they did not get it from the dealers since we did not lack in reminding them),” she said.
Calderon said the LTO already distributed the new plates to the 19 car dealers in the region. The dealers also went to the LTO to get the new plates for their buyers.
“Nahadlok sila kay grabe man ang pressure sa ilang mga buyers (They are afraid due to pressure from their buyers),” she said.
But former councilor Peter Laviña said in his family’s case, their car still has not been issued the new plate because Toyota Davao “insists it has not received our car plate.”
“LTO, on the other hand claims all plates have been released… For this stupidity, we suffer… The common sense solution to this problem is simply to scrap this policy,” he said in a post on Facebook.
Meanwhile, Calderon said there are around 500 new vehicles in the city that are exempted from the implementation of the law. These are those purchased from 2013 up to February 14, 2014 and still belong to the old design.
Calderon said the LTO also has no available new plates for these 500 vehicles.
“All our enforcers know these 500 exempted from the implementation of the no plate, no travel policy. They (owners) just show their registration and the vehicle must have a temporary plate for them not be fined,” she said.
LTO 11 assistant regional director Macario Gonzaga had earlier said the “no plate, no travel” was supposed to be implemented last November but due to some problems – including the late arrival of the new plates – the LTO regional office asked the central office to defer it until the distribution of the new plates stabilizes.
Last January, LTO 11 regional director Gomer Dy said he noticed the slow distribution of new plates because there are still a lot in the LTO stockroom.
Dy said the new plates had arrived in June of last year but only a few vehicle owners have claimed them.