LTO Faces Card Shortage: “We are down to 1 million cards”
LTO – The Land Transportation Office is facing a card shortage for driver’s licenses: “We are down to 1 million cards”.
The driver’s license card is more than just a piece of plastic with your photo on it. It’s an important document that shows your authorization to drive on the roads. It serves as both your identification and authorization to operate a motor vehicle.
It contains essential details such as your name, photograph, address, birth date, and signature, providing a quick reference for law enforcement officers and other authorities. Every license card has a specific validity period. It is crucial to renew your license before it expires to ensure that you continue to drive legally
Recently, the agency faced a challenge as it found itself with only one million plastic cards left for driver’s licenses. The statement comes following the preliminary injunction issued by a local court to the government’s acquirement of plastic cards.
LTO Chief Asec. Vigor Mendoza explained that the remaining cards will be allocated to address backlogs in April, May, and June, as well as for overseas Filipino workers seeking license renewals.
Mendoza said that OFWs planning to renew their licenses should present their tickets to the LTO office before heading abroad.
“We are down to 1 million cards…This is on a first come, first served basis,” he said.
To cope with the card shortage, LTO is exploring potential solutions, such as collaborating with the National Printing Office in a government-to-government deal to supply plastic licenses for drivers.
Mendoza expressed optimism, stating, “We are talking to them right now, same quality and hopefully same price.”
READ ALSO: Departing OFWs given priority for plastic drivers license cards, says LTO
The Land Transportation Office actively seeks ways to ensure a continuous supply of plastic license cards. The office came up with one option, to request the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to speed up the bidding process for next year’s license card supply.