BACOLOD City – A total of 114,947 motor vehicles in Bacolod and neighboring localities have been registered by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) District Office here in 2019.
The figure is 10.51 percent higher than the 104,017 vehicles registered in 2018.
The increase is an indication of the “growing” economic activity of major cities in Negros Occidental, particularly the capital, Bacolod, LTO-Bacolod acting chief Reuben Tampos said on Wednesday.
“There’s an improvement in the income of the people. Many people now have the capacity to buy a car,” he said.
Bacolod’s adjacent cities include Talisay and Silay in the north and Bago in the south.
Records showed that in 2019, a total of 102,496 private vehicles were registered as well as 11,617 for hire and 834 government vehicles.
In October alone, 12,312 vehicles were added to the list, the highest for the whole year.
During the third quarter, there were 33,505 vehicles registered, which is also the highest among the four three-month periods.
In 2019, LTO-Bacolod City District Office collected some P265 million in revenues, which is 9.94 percent higher compared to about P241 million in 2018.
Tampos said the higher registration in 2019 can also be attributed to the LTO’s intensified law enforcement campaign.
However, there are still many motor vehicles need to be registered as the agency steps up operations against unregistered units or colorum, he added.
“There is a huge disadvantage when your vehicle is not registered. There is risk when you’re on the road. A vehicle involved in an accident cannot be covered by insurance,” Tampos said.
Owners are required to renew their registration annually after the first initial registration valid for three years. (PNA)
