The Land Transportation Office issued a reminder to car dealers about the legitimate processing time for registering vehicles.
This came after two clients of a provincial car dealer were found to have the same license plate numbers before.
The office on Saturday shared infographics featuring the number of days it takes to process documents like the Official Receipt (OR), Certificate of Registration and license plate.
“Ang hindi pagsunod sa tamang proseso ay may karampatang multa o parusa,” the LTO said on a Facebook post on February 4.
It also reshared a post of LTO chief Jay Art Tugade, son of former transport secretary Arthur Tugade.
“Isa po itong mahigpit na paalala sa mga dealer ng sasakyan,” the younger Tugade said on the same day.
“May sinusunod tayong bilang ng araw ng pagproseso na dapat ay nakumpleto na ang rehistro o mayruon ng Official Receipt, Certificate of Registration at plaka ang biniling sasakyan ng inyong kliyente,” the LTO chief added.
For non-motorcycles, it takes 7 to 11 days to process the relevant documents, starting from the date of sale to the car owner.
The dealer will then process the requirements and the sales reporting and initial registration.
After this, the LTO will register the vehicle and release the Certificate of Registration (CR) and license plate number to the dealer.
The dealer will then contact the owner to claim the OR or CR, as well as the plate number, once issued by the LTO.
For motorcycles, it takes three to five days to process the relevant documents, starting from the date of sale to the motor owner.
According to LTO, car dealers can be fined P100,000 if they fail to comply. They can also be suspended and have their certificates canceled for the second and third offenses, respectively.
For motorcycle dealers, they can be fined from P20,000 up to P50,000. Suspension and certificate cancellations will likewise apply in repeated violations.
The LTO also reminded car dealers to display the prescribed processing time for vehicle registration to help inform their clients and ensure its timely completion.
“The display of vehicle registration processing time in their own showrooms will keep dealers on their toes to assure that they comply, and likewise allow the public that they have the power to report to the government any delays because as paying customers, they deserve to be served better,” Tugade said before.
Double plate incident
Meanwhile, the reminder about the legitimate processing time for vehicle registration came after two car owners in Cebu were found to have the same license plate number before.
Last week, the Highway Patrol Group-Central Visayas (HPG-7) warned the public to be wary when purchasing second-hand vehicles after private car owner Cecil Labang discovered that she shared the same plate number with another car owner.
Authorities found out that both had purchased their cars — both Toyota Avanzas — from the same car dealer based in C. Padilla Street in Cebu City.
Labang said that she did not encounter any problems when she bought the car last year since it had complete documents such as the CR and OR.
The plate number duplication prevented her from renewing her car registration.
According to HPG-7 Chief Col. Neil Francia, the license plate duplication is a modus of criminal elements in Luzon.
He previously said they are set to file a case against the auto dealer which has victimized their clients.
READ: Owner rejected for car renewal after having same plate number with different owner
