Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II, reminded over the weekend delinquent motor vehicle owners of the strict implementation of the "No Registration, No Travel" policy after the long Christmas and New Year break.
The strict implementation of the policy comes with stiff penalties that include a P10,000 fine if caught by LTO enforcers and other agencies deputized by the agency.
"Starting next week, we will be reviving our strict 'No Registration, No Travel' campaign across the country, so wala ng warning lang. As such, I would like to appeal to our delinquent motor vehicle owners to find time to renew the registration of their respective motor vehicles to avoid paying hefty fines," said Mendoza.
Early this month and under the guidance of Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, Mendoza ordered all Regional Directors and enforcers to go easy on delinquent motor vehicle owners by just warning them instead of issuing ticket violations during the holiday season.
Mendoza, however, warned of a more aggressive campaign against delinquent motor vehicles for the entire 2024, starting next month.
There are around 24.7 million delinquent motor vehicles across the country and this represents around 65 percent of all motor vehicles in the country.
Mendoza emphasized the need to have all these delinquent motor vehicles registered since it is only through the renewal of motor vehicle registration that the government would ensure that the vehicles are all road-worthy amid cases of fatal road accidents.
The World Health Organization reported that around 1.3 million people die in road accidents around the world while between 20 million to 50 million are injured, including injuries that result in disability.
In the Philippines, an average of 32 people die every day as a result of road accidents, according to a United Nations data.
"Our determination to have all these delinquent motor vehicles registered is primarily about safety for all road users," said Mendoza.
"Aside from strict enforcement, we are also implementing ways to make the renewal of the motor vehicle registration fast and comfortable to all our clients. This is the reason why I ordered the creation of special or fast lanes for delinquent motor vehicle registration in all our offices nationwide," he added.