FALSE: Motorcycle drivers without license plates fined up to P100,000

At a glance

• Claim: A graphic circulating on Facebook since June 2021 says that the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is implementing the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, which fines motorcycle drivers without license plates up to P100,000.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: The LTO suspended the implementation of the Motorcycle Prevention Act in August 2020. As of Tuesday, July 13, it remains suspended until further notice. The LTO says on its official Facebook page that the advisory going around is fake.
• Why we fact-checked this: Different accounts and pages posted this claim on Facebook.

Complete details

A graphic circulating on Facebook since June 2021 falsely claims that the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is now implementing Republic Act 11235 or the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, which fines motorcycle drivers without license plates up to P100,000.

The graphic reads: “Walang plaka? Di mabasang plaka? Huli ka! Multa mula P50k – P100k.” (No plate number? Unreadable plate number? Got you! Penalty ranges from P50,000 to P100,000.)

One of the pages that shared this graphic is Facebook page “ED Motovlog.” The comments on the post show that people thought the implementation of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act amid the pandemic was just a means for the LTO to obtain more fees from citizens. 

This is false.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act on March 8, 2019, but the LTO has suspended the implementation of the law since August 2020. The agency says this is because they are still in the process of distributing license plates. 

In a post on its official Facebook page, the LTO called the circulating advisory “fake news.” The office said: “Noong ika-27 ng Agosto 2020, naglabas ng anunsyo ang LTO na ipagpapaliban muna, until further notice, ang pagpapatupad ng batas, partikular na ang mga probisyon na may kaugnayan sa PLAKA, habang ang LTO ay nasa proseso pa ng pagdi-distribute mga mga bagong plaka ng motor.”

(On August 27, 2020, the LTO released an announcement that suspended, until further notice, the implementation of the law – particularly the provisions related to license plates – while the LTO is still in the process of distributing new license plates for motorcycles.)

Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Libiran also debunked the claim through her verified Facebook page. She said that the LTO will release further announcements on its official Facebook page.

The fake advisory has a watermark that says “Dagupan Today.” However, the original post from the page has a note at the bottom part of the graphic, saying that the LTO has suspended the implementation of the law. The circulating fake advisory cropped this part. – Owenh Toledo/Rappler.com

Owenh Toledo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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