MANILA -- The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will soon launch an online portal to help motorists find their vehicle plates in order to address the issue of unclaimed plates.

• LTO has 1.7 million unclaimed license plates

Upon visiting www.ltoplatereplacement.com, motorists can input their plate number, and the portal will show where to claim their plate.

The agency is still working on the portal’s database.

Only a few regions are available on the website, including Cordillera Administrative Region and NCR.

• COA flags laxity in LTO's issuance of permits to driving schools

The backlog of vehicle plates has hounded the LTO since 2016.

Last week, the agency received 108,400 blank motorcycle plates. The vehicle plates are also up for distribution once the plate-making facility completes inspection of the recently-delivered plates.

• DOTr receives first batch of vehicle plates

The Department of Transportation also discovered that there have been 1.7 million unclaimed vehicle plates since 2016.

NEW LTO CHIEF

Meanwhile, the new LTO chief Vigor Mendoza said he is "in a rush" to implement changes in an agency he had strongly criticized before as a transport leader.

• Vigor Mendoza is new LTO chief

“Kaya ko minarapat na mapunta sa gobyermo dahil sabi ko kung reklamo ako nang reklamo at wala rin nangyayari, wala mangyayari, might as well join and make sure that the changes that need to be made are made.” Vigor said.

Vigor plans to deploy "mystery applicants" to check the processes inside LTO offices.

His priority is to make the district officers accountable if he finds out that protocols are not followed.

“I spoke to the stakeholders. We will implement this on a nationwide scale. May mystery applicants sa mga district offices, extension offices ng LTO and all these reports will come to me and yung mag napag-usapan na timelines are followed strictly kasi mahirap pagdating sa baba iba nangyayari," Mendoza said.

Vigor also hopes to eliminate "fixers" with the mystery applicants.

However, Vigor is also expected to eliminate the backlogs of LTO in license cards and vehicle plates before the year ends.

The Department of Transportation has recently awarded the supply of license cards and plates.

“Expected ko na gagawin lahat ni Atty. Mendoza ang kaniyang makakaya para masolusyonan ang maraming problema ng LTO," Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.

Bautista also directed Mendoza to prioritize road safety projects with the improvement of the motor vehicle inspection system and the driving license card application.

Mendoza replaces Hector Villacorta, who first served DOTr as Assistant Secretary for Communications.