MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) yesterday received the delivery of 108,400 vehicle license plates, the first batch under its P3.8-billion contract.
LTO officer-in-charge Hector Villacorta said they expect around 60,000 plates would be delivered weekly.
Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said that around 500,000 plates could be delivered by contractor Trojan-Tonnjes Joint Venture by the first week of August.
Bautista denied that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) rushed the delivery in time for President Marcos’ second State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“We strive to give the proper service to motorists, not only for the SONA. We wish to give motorists the plate that they deserve,” he told reporters in a mix of English and Filipino.
Bautista said the government was able to save over P1 billion during the bidding process.
The DOTr had called for bids to supply 13 million vehicle license plates for P5.2 billion, but the winning contractor gave a bid of P3.8 billion.
Bautista in April warned of a looming vehicle plate shortage if plates could not be delivered by the end of June.