Motorcycle riders across Central Visayas got flagged down on the road not for violations, but for the release of long-awaited plates as the Land Transportation Office in Region 7 pushed a street-based distribution drive to cut its backlog.
The LTO 7 released 5,304 motorcycle plates in the first week of its “Friendly Flag Down” program, which started on April 14, 2026, under Regional Director Atty. Wendel C. Dinglasan.
Under the campaign, LTO personnel go out to selected roads during early morning and late afternoon hours to flag down motorcycles still using temporary plates and process the immediate release of available official plates after verification.
Atty. Dinglasan said the initiative is part of efforts to make government services more accessible while addressing public frustration over delayed plate releases.
“Our goal here in Central Visayas is to change the public’s perception of our agency. We want to make LTO 7 a government office that is easy to transact with, and we also want to bring our services closer to the general public,” he said.
He added that the program is designed to speed up the release of unclaimed plates across Cebu and Bohol, while improving service delivery to motorists.
Field operations run from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with LTO teams conducting roadside verification using documents such as the Official Receipt (OR) and Certificate of Registration (CR) before releasing plates on site.
Dinglasan said personnel involved in the program extend their work beyond office hours to cover more areas and reach more motorcycle owners directly.
Over the weekend, the initiative was carried out in southern Cebu, where Dinglasan personally joined the distribution in Badian.
More than a hundred motorcycle plates were released during the operation.
He was accompanied by LTO Ronda District Office Chief Mhike Jelord Rollo and personnel from the Philippine National Police in Badian led by PCpt. Feb Seares.
The LTO 7 said the “Friendly Flag Down” program will continue across the region as part of its intensified efforts to reduce backlog, improve compliance, and strengthen road safety enforcement.
Contributed photos
Comments