PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the regulation of the issuance of protocol license plates due to complaints about unauthorized use.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed on behalf of Marcos Executive Order 56 on March 25, 2024, amending Executive Order 400, which authorizes the assignment and issuance of protocol license plates to motor vehicles used by high-ranking government officials.
Marcos issued the order due to the complaints about the proliferation and unauthorized use of protocol license plates, which threatens public safety and undermines the integrity of the vehicle registration system.
Under EO 56, only the President of the Republic of the Philippines, the Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Cabinet secretaries, senators, members of the House of Representatives, associate justices of the Supreme Court, presiding justice of the Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Sandiganbayan and Solicitor General, chairpersons of Constitutional Commissions and Ombudsman and chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police are allowed to be issued with protocol plates.
It noted that all other officials with equivalent rank of the said authorized officials may be allowed to use or be issued with protocol license plates only upon the recommendation of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the approval of the Department of Transportation.
The validity of the protocol license plates is only during the incumbency of the officials and may only be used for vehicles registered or officially assigned to them.
Three corresponding license plates will be allowed to be issued each to the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House and chief justice of the Supreme Court, while only two for other authorized government officials. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)