MANILA- The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Wednesday said it would soon open its third new office in Metro Manila, an expansion seen to speed up the processing of new vehicle registration.

LTO chief Edgar Galvante has signed the order to open the agency’s new office in Muntinlupa, its fifth office in the region, which he said would cater to car dealers in southern metro.

The new LTO Muntinlupa Extension Office is located on the National Road in Barangay Tunasan.

The agency's data showed that 20 percent of vehicles sold in the metro were from dealerships in the south, notably in Alabang.

“This will benefit all car dealers located in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Parañaque City, and Las Piñas City who will have lesser travelling time going to our office to have their vehicles registered,” LTO Regional Director Clarence Guinto said in a statement.

“Eventually, this will lessen the processing time of new registration of motor vehicles,” he said.

Earlier this year, the LTO opened its Quezon City District Office on P. Tuazon, followed by the Mandaluyong Extension Office on Shaw Boulevard.