MANILA - The Land Transportation Office on Monday said it discovered that more than half or 60 percent of the total number of vehicles nationwide are unregistered.

Only 14 million out of the 38 million vehicles nationwide are registered, LTO Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza said.

The agency estimates that one of the possible reasons for the large number of unregistered vehicles could be the movement restrictions during the height of the pandemic.

“Isa diyan yung pandemya… kasi yung iba dyan matagal na rin. I wouldn’t be surprised kung yung iba dyan na-scrap na lalo yung motorsiklo na sa tagal nang panahon na dumaan baka hindi na tumatakbo. So we will take that out of our numbers. We will clean our data. For now, yan ang hahabulin ngayon,” Mendoza said.

The agency said the government is losing about P37 to P38 billion this year if the same number of vehicles remain unregistered.

“Ang target kasi ng LTO this year is P31 billion. So if we are successful at medyo tight na tayo kasi end of the year, theoretically if we are we are successful to do this, it is another P37 billion,” Mendoza said.

STRICTER CHECKPOINTS

To address the large number of unregistered vehicles, LTO will implement stricter checkpoints. The LTO will continue with the checkpoints next week, but at the same time disseminate information that there will be stricter checks next year.

Mendoza said he would direct their enforcers to check also on four-wheeled vehicles and not only focus on motorcycles.

“Yung checkpoints talagang striktuhan natin yan. .. Alam mo gusto kong higpitan yung kotse eh alam mo kasi I have no doubt na sa tagal ng panahon may mga motorsiklo na hindi na tumatakbo yan. Yes maraming motorsiklo, kasama yan, pero I have asked our regional directors to focus also on four-wheeled vehicles,” Mendoza said.

Aside from checkpoints, the agency is planning to bring vehicle registration sites to the barangay or at transport hubs.

The agency is also studying to either waive or partially cut the penalties to encourage registration of vehicles. The penalty for registering late is fifty percent of the amount of registration. Registration of motorcycles is P2,000 which makes the penalty P1,000. If the unregistered vehicle is caught plying the road, the owner will be slapped a fine of P10,000. The impounding area inside LTO main headquarter's compound in Quezon City is already crowded with impounded vehicles.

“We are working on that right now. Sana ma-waive or if not waived, kahit partially waived. Pero ang mas mahal dun, hindi yung penalty. Kasi 50 percent yung penalty… Ang impounding is 10,000 pesos yung ang mas mabigat wag na sana umabot sa bagay na yan,”Mendoza said.

“Kaya naglinis kami dito sa compound, in anticipation na maraming maiimpound. Sana huwag na. That's the last thing we want na ma-impound, mas gusto namin voluntary compliance,” Mendoza added.

The LTO will soon roll out “simpler” way of registering vehicles via online or its current LTO online portal.

“I-oonline namin. We would also slowly transition to online registration para ang huling face to face nila sa LTO yung pag-inspect sa vehicle after that they don't have to go to district offices anymore… Tuturuan natin sila mag-online registration. Ang ganda di ba, so that would simplify (the process),” Mendoza said.

Along with strict checks on vehicle registrations, the LTO said it would also ramp up its vehicle inspection systems.

A motor vehicle must pass first an inspection in order to be registered. The inspections will no longer be limited to visual checks, but will also dwell on other safety aspects of the vehicles.

The LTO said the goal is to make sure that the vehicles plying nationwide are roadworthy or safe.

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