FILE PHOTO: An employee of the Land Transportation Office shows some driver’s licenses that have yet to be distributed. INQUIRER / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker has asked the appropriate House of Representatives panels to investigate the shortage of plastic cards used for driver’s licenses, saying that this would only inconvenience people who need these identification cards.
In a statement, BH party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera confirmed that she had filed House Resolution No. 926 to inquire from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) why a shortage is in place, amid reports that drivers have been instructed to just print their temporary driver’s licenses.
“We want to know specifically and in detail where during the procurement process the Land Transportation Office keeps encountering problems over and over again,” Herrera said on Wednesday.
“We will welcome suggestions from the LTO and the Department of Transportation on what changes can be made to the procurement process by removing unnecessary documents and stages,” she added.
READ: Paper-based licenses to save LTO’s day in the face of card shortages
According to Herrera, she also wants the Anti-Red Tape Authority invited “to make sure they have given the House their inputs, findings, and recommendations”.
“We have confidence in the leadership of the LTO in the person of its Chief, Assistant Secretary Jay Art Tugade with DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista at the helm,” Herrera said. “We are aware the problem has its origins before he was appointed to the LTO and that he acted with dispatch upon learning of the problem. The reforms he has been implementing at LTO prove Assistant Secretary Tugade is a results-oriented reformer and manager.”
“We also want to know who were incompetent, negligent and grossly negligent in their duties and responsibilities because they should be held liable and accountable. If they are not the right fit for their jobs, then maybe they could be transferred to positions, roles, or offices which are not critical as the procurement process,” she added.
Last April 20, the LTO confirmed that around 5.2 million driver’s license holders would be issued a temporary permit printed on paper due to the plastic card shortage woes. Tugade said during a press conference on that same day that LTO had only around 147,000 plastic cards in its inventory.
Eventually, LTO announced that it would extend the validity of licenses with expiry dates falling on April 24 to October 31, while waiving penalties.
READ: Plastic card shortage to hit 5.2 million motorists
READ: LTO extends expiring licenses, waives penalties
Several lawmakers like Senator Grace Poe had already asked LTO to solve this problem before the backlog grows — just like what happened to new car plates which were not released despite car owners having made payment already.
Aside from the plastic cards, LTO also expects a shortage in car plates by June or July if the agency fails to procure the materials needed.