The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Saturday reminded motorists to attach their license plates to their motor vehicles amid reports of some vehicle owners deliberately refusing to do so even after the plates were released.

LTO chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II, said that motor vehicle ownership comes with numerous responsibilities, including the immediate attachment of license plates once they are released.

“With our collaboration with the PNP, through their HPG (Highway Patrol Group), and even in our own operations, we discovered that some motor vehicles are deliberately ignoring that responsibility,” Mendoza said.

“The plates are not souvenir items and they should be attached to motorcycles and vehicles as soon as they are released by the car dealers and LTO. There’s a penalty when we do not follow the law,” he added.

He referred to Republic Act 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code of the Philippines, which sets a P5,000 penalty for motor vehicle owners who fail to properly attach their license plates.

Mendoza said that while there was indeed a problem with license plates starting in 2014, the backlog for four-wheel motor vehicles has long been addressed.

The backlog for motorcycle license plates is expected to be cleared by July this year.