By Gabriela Baron
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Friday, May 19, warned against confiscation of vehicle registration plates or “baklas-plaka.”
In a statement, LTO Chief Jay Art Tugade reminded law enforcers and deputized agents that “baklas-plaka” is prohibited.
This following multiple complaints on the alleged removal of licensed vehicle plates that got involved in traffic law violations.
Tugade issued the clarification through a memorandum he signed referring to the provision of the existing Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2014-01, which states that the driver’s license, student permit, or the vehicle can only be subjected to confiscation if the corresponding fine is not imposed on or paid by the driver or vehicle caught violating traffic rules.
“In all cases where the penalty includes the confiscation, suspension or revocation of a driver’s license or student permit as well as the suspension or revocation of the registration of a motor vehicle or impounding the motor vehicle, the same cannot be immediately implemented,” the JAO read.
“The driver’s license, the student permit, or motor vehicle as the case may be shall be put on alarm until the proper penalty may be implemented,” it further read.
Tugade also stressed in the memorandum that all LTO law enforcers and deputized agents should not remove the license plates if the caught vehicles are not impounded. -ag