MANILA - Regulators were able to register at least 3 vehicles with Uber, catching the ride-sharing service in "open defiance" of an order against doing so, a government spokesperson said Tuesday.

Uber was suspended for 1 month for disregarding a moratorium against registering new cars, as it wrangled with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board over the scope of government authority on ride-hailing companies.

The LTFRB registered 1 of its cars and 2 others of its employees on the Uber partners website, according to its board member and spokesperson, Aileen Lizada.

“Hindi pa sila natuto sa P5 million fine. This is an open defiance on the part of Uber. Sinabihan na kayo huwag,” Lizada told DZMM.

“When you come to government, come with clean hands, because our hands are also clean when we talk to you,” she said.

(They have not learned from the P5 million fine. This is an open defiance on the part of Uber. They have been told not to do it.)

The LTFRB fined Uber and rival Grab P5 million each in July for operating some 50,000 cars without proper documents.

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Uber served notice to its users early Tuesday that it was temporarily suspending its operations.

“This is not a popularity contest. We will do what is moral, legal and right for equal application of laws,” Lizada said.