SWIFTER PRODUCTION and distribution of vehicle license plates is expected as the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) inaugurated on Tuesday, April 24, a government-owned plate-making plant at the LTO Central Office in Quezon City. The plant houses seven manual embossing machines that were delivered in Feb. These machines can produce up to 22,000 plates a day, and is expected to address the backlog from July 2016. “The LTO had a lot on its plate when we took over. There was a huge backlog in license cards, while the court stopped the distribution of plates,” Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said in a statement. An automated embossing machine is also scheduled to be delivered in July, which will be operational by Aug. The machines were supplied by a joint venture between Trojan Computer Forms Manufacturing Corporation and JH. Tonnjes E.A.S.T. GmbH, through a contract with the local government. — Denise A. Valdez
