/PNA
CEBU CITY — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 (Central Visayas) on Friday partnered with a mall in this city in distributing more than 50,000 plates to owners of vehicles in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to fast-track the distribution of vehicle plates within the year.
LTO-7 Director Victor Emmanuel Caindec said the plates for distribution inside the SM Seaside Cebu covered vehicles registered between March 2017 and May 2018.
“This is a one-week operation. I should thank the management of SM Seaside for the free use of their space for the plate distribution,” Caindec said.
At the distribution center in the upper ground floor of the mall, the LTO set up a help desk at the entrance area where vehicle owners can inquire with the car dealers’ information about their car registration.
A priority number will be given to each claimant, he said.
“It will only take 10 to 15 minutes for each claimant to get the plate,” Caindec told Cebu reporters in a press briefing during the opening of the plate distribution center at SM Seaside.
He said car owners who fail to claim their plates are facing apprehension by LTO agents and their deputies from the police.
He said that the police has more than 400 police deputized by LTO to apprehend traffic violators.
A car owner who will be caught driving with registered vehicles without attaching the authorized plate will face a PHP5,000 penalty, he said.
“We inform deputized personnel from the police to give car owners enough time to claim their plates,” he said.
Anton del Prado, SM Seaside mall manager, meanwhile, thanked the LTO for choosing their store as venue for distribution of registered car plates.
Del Prado said the mall also gave LTO the upper ground floor parking area as an exclusive place where they can attach the plates to registered vehicles.
He said the activity is part of the mall’s commitment for better service.
SM Seaside also housed LTO-7’s mega-licensing center.
