LTO gives DOTC list of car dealerships in Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines - The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has submitted to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) its list of dealerships, rebuilders and importers in the National Capital Region (NCR).

 

The list also contained the  corresponding transactions with the LTO from January to March 27  which showed that license plates for new motor vehicles became available upon issuance of registration documents as early as February 13.

 

 "We are opening this list to the public in order to help new vehicle owners identify where their plates may be. According to the LTO, all license plates for new vehicles whose original registrations were applied for at the NCR Regional Office have been released to the dealers as of March 19," DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya said.

 

The list covers four-wheeled vehicles only. It indicates the license plates’ series --or the three letters forming their alphanumeric combination -- to also help indicate to the new motor vehicle owners when their plates were claimed by their dealers from the LTO.

 

 "We advise new motor vehicle owners who have yet to receive their license plates to ask their dealers to furnish them with proof of registration application. We’ve received reports that some dealers have taken months to even start the application process, so this will help the public monitor whether they are getting the services they paid for,"LTO chief Assistant Secretary Alfonso Tan Jr. said.

 

Tan said the vehicle owners can even ask their dealers for copies of their Certificate of Stock Reported (CSR), Sales Invoice, Certificate of Insurance Cover (CIC), and Philippine National Police Clearance,to start the registration process. 

 

"If you have valid license plates, whether the new black-and-white series or any of the older green-and-white designs, you will not be apprehended for possible violation of the No Registration-No Travel policy," Tan said. 

 

The penalties for a violation of the 'No Registration-No Travel' rule under Joint Administrative Order include a P 10,000 fine for driving an unregistered vehicle, which is assessed against the vehicle owner, and a P 1,000 fine assessed against the driver.

 

 If the driver manages to present a Certificate of Registration (CR) and an Official Receipt (OR) of the vehicle to prove that it has been registered, the driver will be fined only P 5,000 for failure to attach plates.

 

In these latter cases, however, for vehicle owners who believe that the fault is due to their dealers’ delay, the LTO advises them to contest the apprehension by filing a written protest within five days from apprehension. 

 

This will allow the LTO to look into the potential fault of the dealer and take appropriate action, if warranted.

 

The LTO may impose fines, or suspend or even revoke the accreditation of erring dealerships.

 

For new motor vehicles that are within the allowed seven-day registration process, the driver must present the CSR,  sales invoice dated within seven days prior to the apprehension, and a CIC dated on or after the date of sales invoice. If such documents are presented, no penalties will be meted out.

 

 However, should the date of the sales invoice exceed 37 days on the date of apprehension, the motor vehicle will be impounded by the LTO.

 

Since the LTO implemented Administrative Order in February 2014, the new one-stop registration process has eliminated unnecessary delays and cut down processing time down to seven days, from the previous three to four weeks.