Dealers should follow LTO’s registration policy

I laud the efforts of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in ensuring that all motor vehicles on the road are insured, at par with the legal standards, and properly accounted for through mandatory registration. The “no official registration (OR), no certificate of registration (CR), and no plate, no travel” policies make it clear that all motor vehicles are subject to government regulations and that owners are accountable for lawful violations. Thus, emphasizing the premium the government puts on our safety as drivers and commuters.

Last month, the LTO released a statement regarding the prescribed timeline for the processing of motor vehicle registrations which, according to policy, should take around 11 days. This is far shorter than the experience of car owners in previous years.

While this is a welcome improvement, more action is needed to ensure that dealers strictly follow this. My experience shows that some dealers still do not abide by this timeline, even when there is already news about LTO’s drive to crack down on delinquent car dealers who intentionally delay the processing of vehicle registration. The efforts of LTO to shorten the processing and release of OR/CR and car plates will be put into vain if the government cannot hold these erring dealers accountable. It is high time to leave bad practices in the past. I call on the LTO not to allow these dealers to normalize these unfair practices and uphold the rights of all consumers.

REINER LORENZO J. TAMAYO,