Vehicle registration plates of the Philippines

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Vehicle license plates in the Philippines are issued and regulated by the Land Transportation Office, a government agency under the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Contents 1 History 2 Formats 2.1 Early license plates 2.2 Postwar period 2.3 Early 1970s 2.4 Bagong Lipunan era 2.5 Current system 3 Dimensions and Medium (current series) 4 Plate prefixes for vehicle classifications 5 Previous color schemes 6 Typeface 6.1 Protocol/High-ranking government plates 6.2 Regular government plates 6.3 Diplomatic plates 6.4 Private vehicles 6.5 Public utility vehicles 6.6 Trailers 6.7 Motorcycles 6.7.1 Private 6.7.2 Public Utility 6.8 Tricycles 6.8.1 Private 6.8.2 Public Utility 7 Coding scheme 7.1 Geographical designation 7.2 Special designation 7.3 Personalized plates 8 Optional motor vehicle special plates (OMVSP) 9 Gallery 10 References 11 External links

[edit] History

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Philippine license plates were first used around 1912. Prefixes for license plates were added sometime in the late-1930s. Protocol license plates were introduced in 1959, but were temporarily discontinued in 1978 during the Ferdinand Marcos era and were subsequently reinstated. From 1970 until 1973, Philippine license plates adopted a numbering style similar to Japanese license plates. The typeface for the numbers (except for the year mark) are similar to the main serial numbers of Japanese license plates; it is also used on 1974-1976 Philippine license plates. The current design for Philippine license plates was introduced in 1981. Rear license plates (the same as front license plates, but with the colors inverted) were in use from 1987-1994. Protocol license plates were again regulated in 2005.

[edit] Formats

This article or section is incomplete and may require expansion and/or cleanup. Please improve the article, or discuss the issue on the talk page.

In this section, "L" stands for a letter which "D" stands for a numerical digit.

[edit] Early license plates

Early license plates just showed the serial number (e.g. "31 12345", "31" denotes the year 1931) and the 2-digit year mark. In the mid-1930s, some license plates were displayed as "D-DDDDD"; displayed below the serial number is the two-digit year mark (e.g. 36 [for 1936]), the place where the vehicle is registered (e.g. "MANILA"), and "P.I."

[edit] Postwar period

Philippine license plates of the late 1930s until 1969 have a variety of formats. It can be either "D-DDDDD", "DDDD", "DD*DDD", "DD*DDDD", "DDDDD" or "P*DDDDD", where P stands for a prefix (e.g. 1-12588, 24*1245, 29*350, 11483, L*1992, RP*427, TPU*2344, TX*6809). Below the serial number, the name of the place where the vehicle is registered (in capital letters) or "PHILIPPINES" and the 2-digit year mark is displayed (e.g. "MANILA 60", used to denote a vehicle registered in Manila in the year 1960). Sometimes the left number is smaller than the right number in DD*DDDD-format plates.

For specially designated vehicles such as a jeep or a lightweight car, a prefix is sometimes added. Protocol/low-numbered license plated first appeared in 1959. Date tabs were used in the late 1960s, which were attached to the lower right of the license plate.

In 1961, in celebration of the 100th birthday of Jose Rizal, the phrase "Rizal's Centenary Year" (in capital letters) is displayed at the top side of the license plate. A decal was also displayed to the right depicting the Rizal Monument. Again, in 1964, to honor Apolinario Mabini's 100th birthday, the phrase "Mabini Centennial" (also in capital letters) is displayed on the top side of the plate. The following year (1965), "Christianization's 4th Centennial" (again in capital letters) is displayed on the top side of the plate.

[edit] Early 1970s

In 1970, Philippine license plates adopted the numbering style of Japanese vehicle registration plates. The plate is displayed as "D-D", ranging from 0-0 to 99-99 (sometimes 00 to 09 are used) (e.g. 77-2, 4-28, 12-64, 65-07), and the prefixes (if any), the place name, and the year mark are displayed below the serial number (in that order, from left to right). Year stickers were introduced in 1973.

[edit] Bagong Lipunan era

In 1974, Philippine license plates adopted a new format of "XX-DDD" (or even "DDD-XX", where X stands for an alphanumeric symbol and D stands for a digit (e.g CK 932, 505 XY, PL 289). The prefixes, place name and year mark still remained the same. But in 1977, a new typeface was introduced, and the place name is now displayed as "PILIPINAS". Protocol plates were discontinued in 1978 but were subsequently reinstated later.

[edit] Current system

Starting from 1981, the license plates now adopt the following format of "LLL DDD" (e.g. ABC 123, SHZ 996). Rear license plates were color-inverted versions of the front license plates and were used from 1987-1994. Triple-year stickers (valid for 3 years) were introduced in 2005.

[edit] Dimensions and Medium (current series)

The 1981 series of Philippine registration plates ("plaka" in the Tagalog vernacular) measure 390mm X 140mm. The characters are stamped on an aluminum plate then applied with reflectorised paint, with watermarks of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) logo stamped all over the plate as well as a small logo of the plate manufacturer. This was replaced with a reflectorised, printed coloured sticker featuring the statue of Dr. José Rizal in 2004 with the words "Matatag Na Republika" (Strong Republic) at the bottom. All plates issued by the LTO are solely produced by a privately-funded manufacturer in Manila.

There were many variations prior to the current format, and it depends on who is the incumbent president. This can be seen on what is the slogan written at the bottom of the plate

• PILIPINAS (Philippines)
• PHILIPPINES 2000
• PERLAS NG SILANGAN (Pearl of the Orient)
• ANGAT PINOY 2004 (Go Filipino)
• MATATAG NA REPUBLIKA (Strong Republic)

[edit] Plate prefixes for vehicle classifications

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Prefixes were in use as early as the late 1930s. Sometimes two different prefixes can be combined, in the case of "RPMC", which is used to denote a government-owned motorcycle, or "TRJ", which denotes a jeep with a trailer connected to it. In the early 1970s until 1981, prefixes can be seen at the lower-left corner of the plate. In 1981, along with the current license plate format, prefixes were now displayed as stickers on the license plate.

Commonly used vehicle classification prefixes are:

• CM - Ambassador's vehicle
• DC - Diplomatic vehicle
• H - Heavy vehicle
• L - Full-size vehicle
• M - Medium-size vehicle
• OEV - Official embassy vehicle
• TX - Taxi
• UV - Utility vehicle
  

Some discontinued prefixes are:

• B - "Bantam" (lightweight) car
• E - Tax-exempt vehicle
• J - Jeep
• MC - Motorcycle (the letters "MC" are now positioned above the number format)
• PI - Government vehicle (1930s-1960)
• PU - For hire/Public utility
• RP - Government vehicle (1961-1969)
• S - Government vehicle (1970-1980, now used as a starting letter in government license plates)
• T - Truck (possibly classified only for light trucks starting in 1970)
• TC - Tricycle (the letters "TC" are now positioned above the number format)
• TR - Trailer
• U - Rental vehicle

[edit] Previous color schemes

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There were numerous color schemes found on Philippine registration plates through the years. The color schemes mentioned here are for the majority of the license plates for a year. The symbols are in reflective colors. The format "X on Y" is used in this section, where "X" is the color of the symbols and "Y" is the background color, in short, "X symbols on Y background".

• 1936 - red on white
• 1940 - red on yellow
• 1950 - white on green
• 1951 - yellow on brown
• 1952 - white on navy blue
• 1953 - white on red
• 1954 - white on green
• 1955 - white on black
• 1956 - white on red
• 1957 - white on black
• 1958 - white on maroon
• 1959 - white on orange
• 1960 - white on green
• 1961 - white on red-orange (with the Rizal Monument decal on the right and "RIZAL'S CENTENARY YEAR" displayed above the plate number)
• 1962 - white on maroon
• 1963 - white on green
• 1964 - white on blue (with "MABINI CENTENNIAL" displayed above the plate number)
• 1965 - white on orange (with "CHRISTIANIZATION'S 4TH CENTENNIAL" displayed above the plate number)
• 1966 - blue on white
• 1970 - blue (or dark blue) on yellow
• 1971 - yellow (or white) on red
• 1972 - black on yellow
• 1974 - red on white
• 1977 - green on white (until 1979)
• 1980 - blue on white (sometimes white on green)

For rental, official, and public utility cars, black (or sometimes brown) is used for the plate's background color. This format existed until the 1960s.

For the 1987-1994 subseries, rear license plates had the colors inverted. For the 2004/current series, a reflectorized sticker displaying the Rizal Monument was used.

[edit] Typeface

There were numerous typefaces for Philippine registration plates. The current typeface used for Philippine registration plates was first implemented in 1981. It is loosely based on the Australian license plate system. There have been slight variations on the font design since then.

Talks have been going around in the Land Transportation Office regarding the use of the German Fälschungserschwerende Schrift/"FE-Schrift" (falsification-hindering script; similar typeface used on German vehicle licence plates) on new licence plates for vehicles with regular registration, to serve as a more effective way preventing plate falsification. This typeface is already used on personalised and vanity license plates.

[edit] Protocol/High-ranking government plates

These plates are green D or DD plates reserved for the top government officials of the Republic of the Philippines.

• 1 - President
• 2 - Vice President
• 3 - Senate President
• 4 - Speaker of the House of Representatives
• 5 - Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
• 6 - Cabinet Secretaries
• 7 - Senators
• 8 - Congressmen
• 9 - Associate Justices of the Supreme Court
• 10 - Presiding Justice and other Justices of the Court of Appeals
• 11 - Chairman of the Commission on Elections
• 12 - Cabinet Undersecretary
• 13 - Solicitor General
• 14 - Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines and Chief, Philippine National Police
• 16 - Regional Trial Court Judges

[edit] Regular government plates

Red characters on a white background LLL DDD plates that start with the letter "S".

[edit] Diplomatic plates

Blue characters on a white background plates reserved for diplomats, embassy and consulate officials, country ambassadors and some expatriates such as scientists and researchers at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in the form of DDDD or DDDDD.

Ambassadors' plates are always "1000" and have the country they represent at the bottom of the plate. These plates have a small decal on the bottom left part with a "CM".

1001 - 9999: Diplomatic Corps; a small decal on the bottom left part "DC" for Diplomatic Corps
10000 - 25999: Embassy Vehicles: a small decal on the bottom left part "OEV" for Official Embassy Vehicle

It has been reported that a black 2007 Cadillac Escalade was spotted driving around the metro with a diplomatic license plate in which the first 2 digits are "52". Most recent plates of this type are still on the 10000-25999 series, probably this is a counterfeit one.

[edit] Private vehicles

For private vehicles, the plate contains green-colored symbols on a white background with the number format as "LLL DDD". The first letter usually indicates the region where the vehicle is registered.

[edit] Public utility vehicles

Yellow plates (black characters on a yellow background) in the form LLL DDD and usually begin with either the letter "P" or "T". Since 1999, they always have either "W", "X", or "Y" in the middle of the letter block.
e.g. CWL 510, TXL 399

[edit] Trailers

Yellow or Green plates that have either "U" or "Z" in the middle of the letter block.
e.g. NUL 244, PZN 596

[edit] Motorcycles

[edit] Private

Green characters on a white background with the letters "MC" stamped on the upper right-hand corner next to the registration sticker. Usually in the format LL DDDD, but with the rise in the number of motorcycles on the road, the DDDD LL format has also come into use.

[edit] Public Utility

Black characters on a yellow background. Same format as in private motorcycles. This plate is very rarely seen.

[edit] Tricycles

[edit] Private

Green characters on a white background with the letters "TC" stamped on the upper right-hand corner next to the registration sticker. This is also rare because when a tricycle is purchased, its immediate use is to be a public transport vehicle and will be registered with black on yellow plates.

[edit] Public Utility

Black characters on a yellow background with the letters "TC" stamped on the upper right-hand corner next to the registration sticker.

[edit] Coding scheme

[edit] Geographical designation

• "A" - Region 1 (Ilocos Region and Cordillera Administrative Region)
• "B" - Region 2 (Cagayan Valley Region)
• "C", "R" - Region 3 (Central Luzon Region), "R" are overflow series since the "C" series has been exhausted
• "D", "V" - Region 4 (Southern Luzon Region), "V" is in the same case as the "R" in Region 3
• "E" - Region 5 (Bicol Region)
• "F" - Region 6 (Western Visayas Region)
• "G", "Y" - Region 7 (Central Visayas Region), "Y" are overflow series
• "H" - Region 8 (Eastern Visayas Region)
• "J" - Region 9 (Zamboanga)
• "K" - Region 10 (Northern Mindanao and Caraga)
• "L" - Region 11 (Davao)
• "M" - Region 12 (Socsargen)
• "N" - National Capital Region, 1981-1982
• "P" - National Capital Region, 1982-1991
• "T" - National Capital Region, 1991-1995
• "U" - National Capital Region, 1995-1998
• "W" - National Capital Region, 1998-2001
• "X" - National Capital Region, 2001-2005
• "Z" - National Capital Region, 2005-current

I & O are not used to avoid confusion with the numbers "1" & "0"
Q is a special letter and is not used on regular plate circulation.

[edit] Special designation

• "S" - Government
• "P", "T" - Public utility vehicles (they usually begin with these letters but not always). They always (since 1999) have "W", "X", or "Y" in the middle of the letter block (LLL).
  

e.g. PWM 757

[edit] Personalized plates

A motorist who would like to have personalized plates can have any letter combination he fancies upon three conditions:

1. It is unique i.e., the plate does not have a registered duplicate anywhere else in the Philippines.
2. The plate should not have the same format as government vehicles.
3. The motorist can afford to pay its PHP 25,000 ($500+) price tag.

[edit] Optional motor vehicle special plates (OMVSP)

A project of the Land Transportation Office since 2004, these plates are in the form of LLL DD.

[edit] Gallery

This gallery includes historic and currently-used license plates.

Manila license plate from 1954 (6882)	1961 license plate from Manila celebrating Rizal's 100th birthday (L*19551)	License plate from Rizal, issued in 1965. The letter "B" stands for a lightweight vehicle. (B*23698)	1972 license plate from Rizal (15-09Y)
2004 series license plate issued to a private vehicle (YEH 996)

[edit] References

• License Plates of the World - Philippines
• Land of License Plates - Philippines
• [1]

[edit] External links

• Optional Motor Vehicle Special Plates (OMVSP)

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