MANILA - The Land Transportation Office on Thursday said it was "doing the best it can" to resolve the lack of license plates for registered vehicles.

"The LTO assures the public that the agency is doing the best it can, in compliance with existing laws and regulations, to deliver the license plates," the statement read.

This came after House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez cited the issue when he urged the LTO chief to resign.

• Speaker to LTO chief: Resign over license plate delay

LTO Chief Edgar Galvente failed to attend a House hearing into the issue as he has been hospitalized since Monday, the statement added.

The procurement of car plates was questioned in 2013 before the Court of Appeals. In June 2016, the SC issued a temporary restraining order preventing the transportation department from distributing 700,000 license plates.

At the start of his term in July 2016, Galvez requested that P400 million be allotted for the procurement of license plates under his agency's 2017 budget, an LTO statement said.

Transportation Secretary Tugade approved the request in November 2016 and set aside P1 billion from budget of the Department of Transportation to buy car plates.

Last week, the LTO issued a notice of award (NOA) to the winning bidder that will start supplying P978.8 worth of license plates in March 2018, the statement said.