Eight may be a symbol of infinity in some cultures, but for motorists in the Philippines it has become associated with power-tripping government officials (and friends) who use the low-numbered license plate 8 to cut through traffic, park in illegal spots and intimidate pedestrians.
Well, those in possession of license plates number 8, assigned to congressmen, can kiss their privileges goodbye.
House speaker Pantaleon Alvarez — who was Transportation secretary under Arroyo — has ordered a recall of the protocol license plates because of news report that vehicles carrying the number 8 plate were spotted in indecent places or figured in crime-related activities.
A memorandum dated Wed, Aug 24, instructed lawmakers with “protocol plates issued in the 16th Congress and earlier” to turn over the plates to the Office of the Secretary General.
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, who earlier filed a bill prohibiting the use of special plates by representatives, shared a photo of the memorandum on his Instagram account.
He questioned why the memorandum was selective.
“Dapat pati 17th Congress. Hindi naman namin kailangan ng 8 na plaka para magserbisyo sa ating mga kababayan,” he said.
(It should also include members of the 17th Congress. We don’t need the number 8 license plate to serve our countrymen.)
Protocol plates for high-ranking government officials were first introduced in 1960 by president Carlos P. Garcia.
Here are the assigned numbers for each official capacity.
1 — President of the Republic of the Philippines
2 — Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines
3 — Senate President
4 — Speaker of the House Representatives
5 — Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
6 — Cabinet Secretary
7 — Senator
8 — Congressman
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, AFP/Chief, PNP
16 — RTC Judges
