Release of new car plates delayed

MANILA, Philippines - The scheduled release of new and redesigned license plates for motor vehicles and motorcycles under a P3.85-billion standardization program has been deferred indefinitely, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said over the weekend.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya confirmed that the release of the redesigned plate numbers would not materialize within the month.

“Not yet,” Abaya said in a text message to The STAR.

DOTC spokesperson Michael Arthur Sagcal announced on Aug. 13 the new license plates would be released this month.

This after the DOTC and Land Transportation Office (LTO) awarded to the joint venture of the Netherlands’ J. Knieriem B.V. Goes (JKG) and Power Plates Development Concepts Inc. the five-year contract for the project.

However, Abaya said the DOTC and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) are still resolving issues regarding the release of funds for the project.

“We are still coordinating,” Abaya said.

He did not give a timetable for the release of the new license plates.

The new license plates will feature alphanumeric design such as three-letter and four-number combination for motor vehicles and two-letter and five-number combination for motorcycles.

The current license plate design - three letters and three numbers for motor vehicles and two letters and four numbers for motorcycles - has been in use since 1981.

The license plates will come in a black-and-white design patterned after Singapore and parts of Europe.