By Alexandria Dennise San Juan

The Land Transportation Office said they will start distributing license plates once they formally receive the Supreme Court’s decision which lifted the restraining order that halted the release of at least 700,000 plates for motor vehicles announced over the week.

“This is really good news to us. We have not yet received the official copy of the SC resolution, but as soon as we get one, we will immediately comply,” LTO chief Edgar Galvante said in an interview.

In a statement released by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and LTO, the agencies said they welcome the SC’s decision in lifting the June 2016 temporary restraining order (TRO) it issued on the release of the 700,000 license plates.

This includes around 300,000 pairs of license plates and 400,000 plates for motorcycles in which about half were already released by the agency to vehicle owners prior to the TRO issuance.

“Nung dumating ‘yung TRO, LTO was distributing the 700,000 plates. Natigil because of the TRO (When the TRO was issued, LTO was already distributing the 700,000 plates. It was stopped because of the TRO). Now that it is lifted, we will be distributing what is left, subject to what SC allows us as stated in its decision,” Galvante said in a text message.

According to Galvante, there are at least 300,000 plates already distributed to regional offices prior to the issuance of TRO, which they will distribute to the owners once they are furnished a copy of the decision.

The LTO chief added that those vehicles from 2013 to 2016 will receive their plates when they received the decision.

With the decision of the High Court, both agencies said this development is a great help in curbing the problem of license plates in the country.

The statement added that the ruling is a “vindication for the DOTr and LTO, maintaining that the agencies have legally used government funds, particularly those from the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for the Motor Vehicles License Plate Standardization Program.”

“The DOTr and LTO assure the public that it would be doing everything to provide the quality service the people deserves,” they concluded.