ARTICLE I.—Duty to Register, Reports, Applications, Classifications
All motor vehicles and other vehicles must be registered.
SEC. 5. All motor vehicles and other vehicles must be registered.—
No motor vehicle shall be used or operated on or upon any public highway of the Philippines unless the same is properly registered for the current year in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
Any registration of motor vehicles not renewed on or before the date fixed for different classifications, as provided hereunder shall become delinquent and invalid:
For hire motor vehicles—on or before the last working day of February.
Privately-owned motor vehicles—from March one to the last working day of May.
All other motor vehicles—from June one to the last working day of June; except when the plates of such motor vehicles are returned to the Commission in Quezon City or to the Office of the Motor Vehicles Registrar in the provincial or city agency of the Commission on or before the last working day of December of the year of issue.
Dealers' reports—The Commissioner of Land Transportation shall require dealers to furnish him with such information and reports concerning the sale, importation, manufacture, number of stocks, transfer or other transactions affecting motor vehicles as may be necessary for the effective enforcement of the provisions of this Act.
Change of motor number prohibited.—No repair or change in the motor vehicle involving the exchange elimination, effacing, or replacing of the original or registered serial or motor number as stamped or imprinted shall be allowed, and any motor vehicle with a trace of having its motor number altered or tampered with shall be refused registration or re-registration, unless such is satisfactorily explained and approved by the Commissioner.
Encumbrances of motor vehicles.—Mortgages, attachments, and other encumbrances of motor vehicles, in order to be valid, must be recorded in the Land Transportation Commission and must be properly recorded on the face of all outstanding copies of the certificates of registration of the vehicle concerned.
Cancellation or foreclosure of such mortgages, attachments, and other encumbrances shall likewise be recorded, and in the absence of such cancellation, no certificate of registration shall be issued without the corresponding notation of mortgage, attachment and/or other encumbrances.
Records of encumbrances of motor vehicles shall be kept by the Land Transportation Commission in chronological sequence and shall contain, among other things, the time, date and number of the entry in a "Book of Motor Vehicles" referring to the creation, cancellation or foreclosure of the aforesaid mortgages, attachments or to other encumbrances.
The Land Transportation Commission shall collect a fee of five pesos for every annotation of a mortgage, attachment and/or other encumbrances, or cancellation thereof.
Application and payments for registration.
SEC. 6. Application and payments for registration.—Applications and payments for registration shall be made either personally or by registered mail, and the date of the cancellation of the postage stamps of envelopes containing money order or check shall be taken as the date of the application and/or payment for registration: Provided, That the application is properly prepared and the payment for registration is sufficient as required by law.
Registration Classification.
SEC. 7. Registration Classification.—Every motor vehicle shall be registered under one of the following described classifications:
Private passenger automobiles;
private trucks; and
private motorcycles, scooters or motor wheel attachments. Motor vehicles registered under these classifications shall not be used for hire under any circumstances and shall not be used to solicit, accept, or be used to transport passengers or freight for pay.
Laborers necessary to handle freight on board private trucks may ride on such trucks: Provided, That seats shall not be installed in the rear compartment thereof and that only such number of laborers, not exceeding ten, as may be needed to handle the kind of freight carried, shall ride on the truck: Provided, further, That the combined weight of cargo and passengers does not exceed the registered net capacity of the truck.
For the purpose of this section, a vehicle habitually used to carry freight not belonging to the registered owner thereof, or passengers not related by consanguinity or affinity within the fourth civil degree to such owner, shall be conclusively presumed to be "for hire."
No person shall be allowed to register as private truck any truck not actually and reasonably necessary to carry out his duly licensed business or legitimate occupation or industry regularly paying taxes.
Public utility automobiles;
public utility trucks;
taxis and auto-calesas;
garage automobiles;
garage trucks;
hire trucks: and
trucks owned by contractors and customs brokers and customs agents. Applications for registration under these classifications shall be accompanied by a certificate of public convenience or a special permit issued by the Public Service Commission, and motor vehicles registered under these classifications shall be subject to the Public Service Law, rules and regulations, as well as the provisions of this Act.
Undertakes
Dealers—Registrations under this classification are intended to cover generally and successively all the motor vehicles imported or handled by dealers for sale. Motor vehicles registered under the dealer's classification shall under no circumstances, be employed to carry passengers or freight in the dealer's business, or for hire. Such vehicles shall be operated under this classification only for the purpose of transporting the vehicle itself from the pier or factory to the warehouse or sales room or for delivery to a prospective purchaser or for test or demonstration.
Government automobiles;
government trucks; and
government motorcycles. Motor vehicles owned by the Government of the Philippines or any of its political subdivisions shall be registered under these classifications. Motor vehicles owned by government corporations, by government employees or by foreign governments shall not be registered under this classification.
Tourists bringing their own motor vehicles to the Philippines may, without registering such motor vehicles, use the same during but not after ninety days of their sojourn: Provided, That the motor vehicle displays the number plates for the current year of some other country or state, and said number plates as well as the name and address (permanent and temporary) of the owner thereof are registered in the Land Transportation Commission prior to the operation of the motor vehicle.
If such tourists remain in the Philippines longer than ninety days, the motor vehicle shall not be operated unless registered in accordance with this Act and the corresponding registration fees paid.
Special. The Commissioner of Land Transportation may, in his discretion, allow the registration under this classification of motor vehicles which do not conform to the foregoing described regular classifications.
ARTICLE II.—Registration Fees
Schedule of registration fees.
SEC. 8. Schedule of registration fees.—Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Act, each application for renewal of registration of motor vehicles shall be accompanied by an annual registration Tee in accordance with the following schedule:
Private automobiles with pneumatic rubber tires, an amount based on their respective shipping weight or factory weight as indicated in the following schedule:
1,000 kilos or less P75.00
1,000 to 1,500 kilos 100.00
1,501 to 2,000 kilos 135.00
2,001 kilos and above 180.00
The factory or shipping weight of a private automobile shall be obtained from the Red Book edited by the National Market Report, Inc., of the United States of America: Provided, further, That in the case of automobiles with altered, changed or rebuilt bodies, the weight as obtained: by actual weighing shall be considered the vehicles weight: Provided, furthermore, That the increased registration fees herein prescribed shall not apply to jeeps and jeepneys for private use or for hire and the fees hereof shall be those prescribed for them before the approval of this Act
The registered passenger capacity of passenger auto-mobiles operated for hire or for private use shall be determined as follows:
For each adult passenger, a horizontal rectangular area, including seat and feet space, not less than thirty-five centimeters wide and sixty centimeters long, except in the front seat, which shall allow an area fifty centimeters wide for the operator.
For each half passenger, a horizontal rectangular area, including seat and feet spaces, not less than seventeen and a half centimeters wide by sixty centimeters long, provided that each continuous row of seats shall not be allowed to have more than one-half passenger.
Private motor trucks, passenger buses and trailers with pneumatic rubber tires, the sum of five pesos for every hundred kilograms of maximum allowable gross weight or fraction thereof.
Private motor trucks, passenger buses and trailers with solid rubber tires or with part-solid and part-pneumatic rubber tires, the sum of seven pesos for every hundred kilograms of maximum allowable gross weight or fraction thereof.
Private motorcycles and scooters of two or three wheels and bicycles with motor attachments, the sum of thirty pesos.
The fee for registration of motor vehicles for hire shall be sixty percent more than the fee prescribed for private motor vehicles of the same category.
The fee for registration of diesel-consuming vehicles shall be fifty percent more than that of vehicles using motor fuel other than diesel oil. The fee for registration of motor vehicles for hire shall be sixty percent more than the fees prescribed for private motor vehicles.
No regular registration fees shall be charged for the general registration of motor vehicles contemplated under the dealer's classification: Provided, That the Commissioner of Land Transportation shall provide appropriate dealer's number plates corresponding to the classification of vehicles hereinbelow described, and registration fee for every set of such dealer's number plates shall be in accordance with the following schedule of rates:
Two hundred pesos for each truck or trailer;
One hundred pesos for each passenger automobile; and
Twenty pesos for each motorcycle and the like.
Registration under the "Government Motor Vehicle" classification shall be free of charge, upon request of the chief of bureau or office concerned.
Motor vehicles not intended to be operated or used upon any public highway, or which are operated on highways not constructed or maintained by the Government, or are intended not to be used or operated at all, shall be exempt from payment of the registration fees provided in this Act, but shall each pay an annual recording and service fee of fifteen pesos: Provided, however, That no refund, credit for, or reimbursement of registration fees or part thereof shall be made to any owner on account of the discontinuance of the use or operation of a motor vehicle subsequent to the payment of such registration fees: Provided, further, That in the event motor vehicles exempted under this section shall be found operated on my public highways, the regular registration fees and Surcharges shall be collected in addition to whatever penalties may be imposed for violation of this Act. The Commissioner of Land Transportation shall provide distinctive lumber plates for vehicles exempted from payment of Regular registration fees, and the owner of the vehicles concerned shall pay four pesos for each set of such number plates.
The maximum allowable gross weight of a motor truck, passenger bus, or trailer, upon which to compute the registration fee thereof, shall be determined by the Commissioner of Land Transportation. He shall, from time to time as the need of the service may require, prepare, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Public Works and Communications, suitable tables of maximum allowable loads per wheel for different sizes and kinds of tires.
The registration fees provided in this Act for trucks may be payable in two equal installments, the first to be mid on or before the last working day of February if for hire, and in March if private; and the second to be aid on or before the last working day of August: Provided, That the fifty per cent penalty shall apply only to the unpaid balance of the remaining period of delinquency.
Permissible weights and dimensions of vehicles in highways traffic.
SEC. 9. Permissible weights and dimensions of vehicles in highways traffic.—
The maximum gross weight and measurement of motor vehicles, unladen or with load, permissible on public highways shall be as specified hereunder, subject to such regulations as the Commissioner with the approval of the Secretary of Public Works and Communications, may promulgate, from time to time, as the conditions of the public highways may warrant and the needs of the service may require.
Permissible maximum weights:
Per most heavily loaded wheel.........three thousand six hundred kilograms;
Per most heavily loaded axle..............eight thousand kilograms;
Per most heavily loaded axle group
(the two axles of the group being at
least one meter and less than two
meters apart) ..............................fourteen thousand five hundred kilograms.
An axle weight shall be the total weight transmitted to the road by all the wheels the centers of which can be included between the parallel transverse vertical planes one meter apart extending across the full width of the vehicles.
No provincial, city or municipal authority shall enact or enforce any ordinance or resolution regulating or prescribing the maximum gross weight of any motor vehicle.
No motor vehicle operating as a single unit shall exceed the following dimensions:
Overall width............two and five-tenths meters
Overall height...........four meters
Overall length:
Freight vehicles with two axles ......ten meters
Passenger vehicles with two axles.....eleven meters
Vehicles with three or more axles.....fourteen meters
No motor vehicle and/or trailer combination shall exceed eighteen meters in overall projected length, including any load carried on such vehicle and trailer.
No articulated vehicles shall be allowed to draw or pull a trailer and no vehicle already drawing a trailer shall draw another.
Special permits, fees for.
SEC. 10. Special permits, fees for.—The Commissioner with the approval of the Secretary of Public Works and Communications, shall issue regulations and schedules of additional fees under which special permits may be issued in the discretion of the Commissioner or his deputies for each of the following special cases, without which special permit no vehicles shall be operated on the public highways :
To operate a motor vehicle or trailer outfit with wheel, axle, or axle group loads in excess of the limits fixed in subsection (a) of Section nine hereof or in any regulation issued by the Commissioner.
To operate a motor vehicle the size of which exceeds the limit of permissible dimensions specified in paragraph (6) of Section nine hereof.
To operate a motor vehicle with any part of the load extending beyond the projected width of the vehicle.
To pull two trailers behind a motor vehicle.
For any other special authority relating to the use of vehicles, not otherwise specifically provided herein.
Additional fees.
SEC. 11. Additional fees.—In addition to the fees else-where provided in this Act, for each change of registration, from private to for hire or vice-versa; revision of gross weight rating, change of tire size; transfer of ownership; replacement of a lost registration certificate, number plate, driver's license or permit; badge; preparation of affidavit or certified copy of records, or for any similar circumstances requiring the issue, revision, or reissue of a certificate of registration, driver's license, badge, permit, or other document, a fee of two pesos shall be collected.
The replacement of a lost or utterly spoiled certificate, number plate, license, badge or permit shall render the original invalid.
In case of request in writing for certification of data or facts involving two or more vehicles, a fee of five pesos a page or part thereof shall be collected for each certification.
Fee for original registration for part of year.
SEC. 12. Fee for original registration for part of year.— If any application for the original registration is made during the first quarter of a calendar year, the total annual fee for the year shall be paid, if made during the Second quarter, three-fourths of the annual fee for that year shall be paid, if made during the third quarter, one half of the annual fee shall be paid, and if made during the fourth quarter, one-fourth of the annual fee shall be paid.
Nothing in this section shall be construed as allowing quarterly renewals of registrations in order to avoid payment of fees in advance for the entire year.
Payment of taxes upon registration.
SEC. 13. Payment of taxes upon registration.—No original registration of motor vehicles subject to payment of taxes, customs duties or other charges shall be accepted unless proof of payment of the taxes due thereon has been presented to the Commission.
ARTICLE III.—Registration Certificates, Records, Number Plates
Issuance of certificates of registration.
SEC. 14. Issuance of certificates of registration.—A properly numbered certificate of registration shall be issued for each separate motor vehicle after due inspection and payment of corresponding registration fees.
Use and authority of certificate of registration.
SEC. 15. Use and authority of certificate of registration.—
The said certificate shall be preserved and carried in the car by the owner as evidence of the registration of the motor vehicle described therein, and shall be presented with subsequent applications for re-registration, transfer of ownership, or recording of encumbrances: Provided, That in lieu of the certificate of registration a true copy or photostat thereof may be carried in the motor vehicle.
The certificate of registration issued under the provisions of this Act for any motor vehicle shall, while the same is valid and effective and has not been suspended or revoked, be the authority for the operation of such motor vehicle.
No motor vehicle shall be operated on the public highways in a manner which would place it under a classification requiring the payment of a larger registration fee than that stated in the certificate of registration.
Suspension of registration certificate.
SEC. 16. Suspension of registration certificate.—If inspection, as provided in paragraph (6) of Section hereof, any motor vehicle is found to be unsightly, unsafe overloaded, improperly marked or equipped, or otherwise unfit to be operated, or capable of causing excessive damage to the highways, or not conforming to minimum standards and specifications, the Commissioner may refuse to register the said motor vehicle, or if already registered, may require the number plates thereof to be surrendered to him, and upon seventy-two hours notice to the owner of the motor vehicle, suspend such registration until the defects of the vehicle are corrected and/or the minimum standards and specifications fully complied with.
Whenever it shall appear from the records of the Commission that during any twelve-month period more than three warnings for violations of this Act have been given to the owner of a motor vehicle, or that the said owner has been convicted by a competent court more than once for violation of such laws, the Commissioner may, in his discretion, suspend the certificate of registration for a period not exceeding ninety days and, thereupon, shall require the immediate surrender of the number plates.
Whenever a motor vehicle is found to be underweighed the owner thereof shall pay the difference in the registration fees corresponding to the shortage in weight plus a fifty per cent surcharge, and until such payment is made, the certificate of registration of the motor vehicle concerned shall be suspended by the Commissioner.
After two such suspensions, re-registration of the vehicle concerned for one year may be denied.
The Commissioner shall notify the owner of the motor vehicle of any action taken by him under this section.
Number plates, preparation and issuance of.
SEC. 17. Number plates, preparation and issuance of.—
The Commissioner shall cause number plates to be prepared and issued to owners of motor vehicles and trailers registered under this Act, charging a fee of four pesos for each pair including the numerals indicating the year of registry: Provided, however, That in case no number plates are available, the Commissioner or his deputies may issue, without charge, a written permit temporarily authorizing the operation of any motor vehicles with other means of identification: Provided, further, That all motor vehicles exempted from payment of registration fees, motor vehicles for hire, and privately-owned motor vehicles shall bear Plates so designed and painted with different colors to distinguish one class from another: Provided, furthermore, That the plates of motor vehicles exempted from payment of registration fees shall be permanently assigned to such motor vehicles during their entire lifetime while exempted from payment of the fees: And, provided, finally, That the owner thereof shall return such plates to the Land Transportation Commission within a period of seven working days after such owner has lost his exemption privilege or has transferred the vehicle to a non-exempt owner.
In case the design of the number plate is such that the numerals indicating the year of registry are on a detachable tag, the Commissioner or his deputies may in their discretion, issue the said tag only for subsequent re-registration charging a fee of one peso for each tag issued.
Use of number plates.
SEC. 18. Use of number plates.—At all times, every motor vehicle shall display in conspicuous places, one in front and one in the rear thereof, the said number plates.
The number plates shall be kept clean and cared for, and shall be firmly affixed to the motor vehicle in such a manner as will make it entirely visible and always legible.
Except in the case of dealer's number plates which may be used successively on various motor vehicles in stock, no person shall transfer number plates from one motor vehicle to another.
No dealer's number plate shall be used on any motor vehicle after said vehicle has been sold and delivered to a purchaser, and no dealer shall allow such dealer's number plates to be used on any motor vehicle after its sale and delivery to a purchaser.
Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines — Philippine laws are public documents (works of the government).
