The new look of the DOTr driver’s license. (Photo from the Facebook page of the Department of Transportation)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) expects the issuance of driver’s licenses printed on plastic cards to normalize in the next three to four months with the arrival of its first batch of procured plastic cards by the end of July.
“We have no doubts that we will be able to meet the needs of the people for plastic cards within the year,” Transportation Assistant Secretary Hector Villacorta, also the acting Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief, said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
Transportation Undersecretary Kim Robert de Leon said the winning bidder, Banner Plasticard Inc., will deliver up to 1 million preprinted license cards within the next 60 days or two months.
He said the DOTr bids and awards committee had recommended and declared the company’s offer as the lowest calculated responsive bid for the procurement of over 5.2 million plastic cards worth P290.2 million. Arnel Babierra, Banner’s vice president for production, committed to delivering around 100,000 plastic cards by the end of July.
“In the terms of reference, there is a specific delivery schedule for Banner Plasticard to complete the 5.2 million pieces (backlog) of license cards. In that particular design, the first 60 days are intended for up to the first 1 million. The succeeding deliveries will be made for the next months thereafter until 5.2 million is completed,” De Leon said.
According to Villacorta, the DOTr has “all the optimism” that the issuance of license cards will return to normal, noting the extended validity of licenses that expired on April 24 until Oct. 31.
OFWs prioritized
Student drivers applying for professional or nonprofessional licenses as well as overseas Filipino workers will be prioritized for the distribution of the licenses, according to the DOTr. Priority areas include the National Capital Region, Calabarzon and Mimaropa regions, and Cebu.
Holders of driving licenses printed on paper would be allowed to apply for plastic cards by November or December, Villacorta said.
The shortage of vehicle license plates and plastic cards for drivers’ licenses earlier led to Jose Arturo Tugade’s resignation as LTO chief.
He had blamed the shortage on a special DOTr order issued in January by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, who directed all transportation agencies to defer procurement activities worth P50 million and above to the department’s central office.
In his letter of resignation to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Tugade maintained that his office was not to blame, as the LTO had tried to solve the problem as early as November 2022.
“Had we been able to continue with our procurement activities, we would have sufficient plastic cards right now,” he said.