Well now it's as clear as day.

The Land Transportation Office in a report by ABS-CBN clarified the ban on any kind of accessories attached in any way to the license plates of vehicles.

Referring back to Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01 by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) which oversees the Land Transportation Office, Section II-e makes it clear that plate-related accessories are banned. The adminstrative order recently hiked the fines on land transport violations.

The blanket nature of the wording of Section II-e appears to cover anything that is attached to the license plate that was not authorized by the LTO, meaning third party accessories. This includes plate holders of any kind, plate covers or any other kind of accessory that “impedes in any way the visibility or reflectivity of the authorized motor vehicle license plate and/or the third plate sticker”. The inlcusion of the article is based on the Motor Vehicle License Plates Standization Program of the LTO which the agency issued in July of 2013.

The LTO also clarified that even clear plastic or glass plate covers are banned, along with any device like tilting plate holders or even brackets that in any way cover a part of the plate itself.

The fine for any violation of JAO 2014-01 Sec. II-e calls for a fine of PhP 5,000. The said accessories will be confiscated on the spot.

What do you think of this often overlooked regulation?

We have been advised by a reliable source within the LTO that the agency will be conducting apprehension operations Friday and Saturday this week. We are recommending motorists to discontinue use of their plate acessories to avoid apprehension.

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UPDATE (7/2/14): In an interview with RadyoInquirer, the LTO's spokesperson stated that the ban for plate covers, etc. only applies to new cars using the newly released plates. Existing vehicles with previous generation plate designs are supposedly excluded. We are still clarifying with the LTO how they will implement such a rule.

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