GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 12 Aug) — Thousands of vehicle license plates remain unclaimed in Region 12 months after the Land Transportation Office (LTO) announced it had cleared its years-long backlog, prompting the agency to urge motorists to collect their plates ahead of a looming nationwide crackdown on temporary plates.
LTO Region 12 was quoted by the Philippine Information Agency that as of June 2025, there are still 40,997 unclaimed plates in the region—37,068 for motor vehicles and 3,929 for motorcycles.
In response to this, LTO Region 12 Director Melharrieh Tomaris said the agency is currently holding off on enforcing the “no plate, no travel” policy, which imposes a ₱5,000 fine on motorists using temporary plates, to give owners more time to comply.
“Ngayon po ay nagbibigay tayo ng orders sa ating mga law enforcers na walang huli sa ating mga kababayan natin na mapapatunayan na papunta sila sa Region 12 upang kunin ang kanilang plaka,” Tomaris said over Brigada News GenSan.
However, the director warned that this grace period will not last long.
“Ito pong pagkakataon na ito ay kinakailangang huwag nating isantabi, dahil hindi niyo na po kami pwedeng sisihin ’pag kami po ay nag-implement na ng ‘no plate, no travel’ policy,” he said.
While Region 12 awaits guidance from the central LTO office on the exact start of strict enforcement, Tomaris urged vehicle owners to avoid waiting until the last minute.
For some motorists, the delay in claiming plates was simply due to a lack of information.
“Akala ko po wala pa. Ngayon ko lang nalaman na available na pala,” Joshua Roto, a resident of General Santos, told MindaNews. He said that if only there was a text message or a call from LTO, he should have claimed it long ago.
Roto said he had been using a temporary plate for almost two years.
Motorists have only until October 31 to collect their license plates.
The nationwide distribution of unclaimed plates began in June, after the LTO declared it had finally addressed its production backlog earlier this year—a delay that had stretched for nearly a decade.
The shortage dated back to 2014 when supply issues, procurement problems, and legal challenges stalled production, leaving millions of vehicles without permanent plates. (Guia Rebollido / MindaNews)
