An LTO employee shows some driver’s licenses that have yet to be distributed. (File Photo of the INQUIRER / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA)
MANILA, Philippines — The government is looking into the agency-to-agency way of procuring plastic cards for driver’s licenses, said Land Transportation Office (LTO) Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor Mendoza II on Thursday.
According to Mendoza, the country needs six million plastic cards for 2024, on top of the 2.6 million backlog from the previous year.
He also stressed that the country has 270,000 remaining plastic cards as of posting time.
Mendoza said these are projected to last until the end of January.
“Marami tayong options na ine-explore at siguro ang most advanced, prominent, [and] transparent process would be ‘yung ating agency-to-agency acquisition of license. Ito ‘yung mga… printing offices ng gobyerno, we’ve requested them to submit quotations kung gagawin nila ‘yung ating lisensya,” he said in a press conference.
(We have many options that we are exploring, and perhaps the most advanced, prominent, and transparent process would be our agency-to-agency acquisition of a license. These are the government printing offices; we’ve requested them to submit quotations if they will be the ones to produce our license.)
“I think this would be the fastest and most transparent way,” he added.
READ: Plastic drivers’ licenses delayed anew due to paperwork issues — LTO
Mendoza was referring to the National Printing Office, APO Production Unit, Inc., and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
He said the agency-to-agency procurement of plastic cards if ever pushed through, must still meet some particular requisites.
Among these are technical and quality testing to be conducted by the Department of Science and Technology.
READ: No more paper-printed licenses as 4 million plastic cards available soon — LTO
On the other hand, the official also mentioned that the 4 million plastic cards donated by the Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers are still being verified at the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
“Umaandar pa naman ‘yan with the OSG [‘yung 4 million donated cards], pero kung sa karera, kung sa anong mauuna, mukhang agency-to-agency,” he said.
(It’s still in progress with the OSG [the 4 million donated cards], but regarding the race and what will come first, it seems like it’s agency-to-agency.)
“Kung titignan mo ‘yung capability and readiness, parang mas ready ‘yung ating government printing offices,” he added.
(If you look at the capability and readiness, our government printing offices seem more prepared.)