THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) has sought the assistance of Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo “Jonkie” Ouano to fast-track the release and distribution of license plates, particularly for units under the Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (Toda) in Mandaue that were registered in 2017 and below but have yet to receive their official plates.
LTO Central Visayas Director Glen Galario said thousands of plates are already available in LTO offices across the region, but many remain unclaimed especially those intended for tricycles-for-hire operating under Toda.
Galario made a courtesy call to Ouano’s office on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, to request assistance in gathering vehicle records for Mandaue, including engine numbers and MV (motor vehicle) file numbers, to help the agency match the plates with rightful owners and assign plates to units with incomplete documentation.
“Ang uban sa atong mga Toda units hangtod karon walay plaka. Naa na sa LTO ang mga plaka pero wala pa ma-claim. Nangayo mi og tabang sa City Hall para ma-trace ang mga tag-iya,” Galario said.
(Some of our Toda units still don’t have license plates. The plates are already with the LTO, but they haven’t been claimed yet. We’ve asked for help from the City Hall to trace the owners.)
He clarified that while there is no longer a production backlog for license plates, especially for 2017 and below registrations, the challenge now lies in the distribution and retrieval of owner information, with some plates still being transported from Manila to Central Visayas.
LTO is set to strictly implement the “No Plate, No Travel” policy by mid-August. Galario urged motorists still using temporary plates to immediately visit the nearest LTO office to check their plate status.
Vehicle owners can also check the LTO tracker at ltotracker.com to locate their plates and confirm availability.
“Walay rason nga dili nila makuha ilang plaka. Ang among mandato, dapat marelease ni tanan before October 31,” Galario said.
(There’s no reason for them not to claim their plates. Our mandate is to ensure that all of these are released before October 31.)
Although he could not provide the exact number of unclaimed plates, Galario said more than 100,000 plates have already been delivered to Central Visayas. (CAV)