What could have been a sign of relief for vehicle owners – who are patiently waiting for the new license plates that were already paid for – turned into another waiting game.
File photo/Source: Top Gear Philippines
As reported by Rappler, the 600,000 overdue license plates are already in Manila and now with the Bureau of Customs (BoC). Unfortunately, they are included in the 11 container vans that were allegedly abandoned by a “private importer” and have incurred taxes of about P40 million.
Furthermore, the report mentioned that the said shipments were neither from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) nor the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) but were under a “private importer.”
On February 29th during the media forum at the Manila Hotel, the Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina said and was quoted, that they “have seen the plates but the overdue duties and taxes have to be paid.”
The commissioner further stated and quoted in the article, “The shipments were abandoned so we took over.”
Sample Plate/File Photo
Meanwhile, the LTO has announced the “No registration, no travel” policy beginning April 1, 2015. The policy states that the motorists are banned from traveling unless they can show proof the car has already been registered, which I think is useless and unfair.
Initially, the standardization of plates was first introduced last May 2014 to prevent car theft, plate removal, switching, or any car-related incidents. In fact, the LTO has issued a Memorandum Circular No. AVT-2014-1895, January of this year to oblige the vehicle owners to replace their old license plates with the new ones.
So, just to recap:
- The plates are already in Manila and with the Bureau of Customs.
- The “private importer” allegedly left the container vans (until God knows when) and have incurred about P40 million worth of duties and taxes.
- BoC only gave a week to settle the fees.
Personally, I don’t get the point of settling the fees etc. From what I know, the plates have been paid for and should be given to the vehicle owners accordingly.
What do you think of this issue? Share thoughts in the box below!
