The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has recommended the revocation of the driver’s license of the person caught driving a Porsche 918 Spyder with an unauthorized license plate bearing his initials.

LTO Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao made the recommendation after the registered owner, actor Derek Ramsay, and businessman Anthony Jude "AJ" Violago, who was driving the Porsche, were issued Show Cause Orders (SCOs) over the use of the unauthorized plate while the vehicle was being driven on a public road.

The LTO said the plate was not authorized by the agency and carried the initials of the driver’s name. Both the registered owner and driver were subsequently required to appear before the LTO, explain the incident, and submit the necessary documents.

“Malinaw ang paglabag ng drayber ng supercar na ito. Mahigpit po tayo laban sa paggamit ng peke o hindi awtorisadong plaka. Ginagawa lang naman natin ito upang matiyak na tama at legal ang pagkakakilanlan ng bawat sasakyan sa kalsada,” Lacanilao said.

(The violation committed by the driver of this supercar is clear. We are taking a firm stance against the use of fake or unauthorized license plates. We are doing this to ensure that every vehicle on the road is properly and legally identified.)

The incident happened in August when the Porsche was allegedly driven by Ramsay’s friend, with the vehicle’s original license plate replaced by one bearing the driver’s initials. The incident prompted the LTO to issue the SCOs.

This is similar to the recent incident involving the Toyota Fortuner of MMDA General Manager Nicolas Torre, where his driver also had his license revoked for illegally swapping government license plates from another MMDA service vehicle. The driver was given a perpetual revocation for his driver's license due to repeated violations.

During the investigation, the LTO and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) found a discrepancy in the vehicle’s import records. The Porsche 918 Spyder, which, according to authorities, is valued at close to PHP 50 million, was declared in the 2021 import documents as a Porsche Boxster valued at PHP 3.26 million.

The Porsche 918 Spyder remains impounded, with its release currently held in abeyance pending the BOC’s disposition of the case.

The LTO said it will continue enforcing regulations covering the use of license plates and taking action against motorists who use fake or unauthorized plates. The agency also reminded motorists to use only legal and authorized plates when driving on public roads.