The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has recently distributed license plates for all the remaining tricycle franchise holders in Quezon City in compliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to bring the government services closer to the people.

LTO chief Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor Mendoza II disclosed that the ceremonial distribution of the license plates for the Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) marked the end of the backlog problem for all tricycle franchise holders in the city.

In coordination with the QC local government unit headed by Mayor Joy Belmonte and Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, Mendoza provided 150 license plates to TODA members who have been waiting for their license plates for years now.

‘This is actually the order of Marcos and Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista for all government services to be brought down to the community under the Bagong Pilipinas.’

A total of 2,915 license plates were actually produced by the LTO for distribution and all of these were later turned over to the respective tricycle franchise holders.

“This is the first time in the history of the LTO that it distributed the license plates directly to the owners. And we express our gratitude to the Quezon City government led by Mayor Belmonte for helping us in this objective,” Mendoza said.

“This is actually the order of Marcos and Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista for all government services to be brought down to the community under the Bagong Pilipinas. So we will be doing this starting here in Quezon City and will be replicated in the coming days nationwide,” he added.

With the distribution of the license plates to TODA members, Mendoza said there is no more backlog of license plates for tricycle franchise holders in Quezon City, which means that those with no license plates within the City are operating illegally.

Mendoza said they will continuously coordinate with the QC government in running after colorum tricycles, as he stressed the need to protect tricycle operators and drivers who abide by the government regulations in operating public transport.

To recall, there was more than 12 million backlog in license plates for motorcycles and four wheel vehicles which started as early as 2014 and the number increased every year when Marcos assumed the presidency in July 2022.

Meantime, Mendoza said they will replicate the license plate distribution for motorcycles down to the barangay levels across the country in the coming days.