Concerns about the increasing number of low-numbered license plates led President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to issue an executive order (EO) that regulates the number of protocol license plates given to government officials.

EO 56, which Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed on 25 March and was only made public until Thursday, cuts down on the number of license plates that were given to high-level officials.

EO 56 amended EO 400 which was issued during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

"It has been observed that complaints about the proliferation and unauthorized use of protocol license plates continue to increase over the years, threatening public safety and undermining the integrity of vehicle registration," the order read.

The three-page executive order mentioned that protocol license plates given to government officials could only be used on cars registered under their names or that were officially assigned to them during their incumbency.

However, the official is required to return the plate to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) when they retire, quit, are fired, or end their time or tour of duty.

“All previously-issued protocol license plates issued pursuant to EO No. 400, as amended, except those issued to incumbent authorized officials under Section 1 hereof, are deemed expired. The LTO in coordination with concerned agencies, is hereby directed to revoke and/or confiscate all expired protocol license plates, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations.”

The EO reduced the number of officials to use protocol license plates from 16 to 14, and that all authorized government personnel are allowed a maximum of two protocol license plate pairs.

But the president, vice president, Senate president, House speaker, and Supreme Court chief justice, are exempted as they are allowed a maximum of three plates.

On the list are the President with number one plate number; Vice President, two; Senate President, three; Speaker of the House of Representatives, four; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, five; Cabinet Secretaries, six; Senators, seven; and Members of the House of Representatives, eight; and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, nine.

Plate number 10 was assigned to the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals (CA), the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), Sandiganbayan, and the Solicitors General. Eleven was given to the Chairperson of the Constitutional Commission and the Ombudsman.

On the other hand, plate number 14 was given to the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Chief of the Philippine National Police.

These officials must get permission from the LTO, the Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and a list of all officials in the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) who have the same rank as the above-mentioned authorized officials.

If the LTO recommends it and the transportation secretary agrees, the EO made it clear that the Associate Justices of the CA, CTA, and Sandiganbayan could use protocol license plates. However, this should not be "construed to authorize all other officials with equivalent rank as the Associate Justices of the CA, CTA, and Sandiganbayan and below to use protocol license plates."