The controversial “8” plate, which used to be issued to members of the House of Representatives and is often abused on public roads, is now illegal. This has been made clear by Secretary General Reginald Velasco after the House of Representatives and MMDA have formally agreed on the use of “8” plates.

This follows after the House of Representatives ordered a recall of all “8” plates last November 20. Declaring the use of “8” plates as illegal is very welcome, as many motorists have been abusing this protocol plate in breaking traffic rules and regulations like passing through the bus lane illegally.

This declaration from the House of Representatives should help hunt down those who are using illegal replicas of the “8” plates to break traffic rules. “Using unauthorized and illegal special plates should not be tolerated as it threatens public safety and undermines the integrity of the vehicle registration system,” Velasco said in a statement made on November 22.

This move should also address concerns where motorists would name-drop a member of Congress to avoid traffic violations. This was the case last November 15, when MMDA apprehended a motorist passing through the bus lane. The said motorist name-dropped Sen. Bong Revilla’s name, but the Senator denied that we were in the vehicle when the apprehension happened.

A lot of Filipinos have been clamoring for this for many years, and it was only in 2023 that the House of Representatives became fed up with reports of “8” plates being abused to break rules and act privileged on the road. It’s also surprising that it took the House of Representatives this long to call out this decades-long practice, where even expired “8” plates are still being used on the road.

Aside from making the use of “8” plates illegal, perhaps the House of Representatives should use a new protocol plate that’s not the number 8 to put an end to this practice.