Plastic drivers’ license cards finally out in April

FILE PHOTO: An employee of the Land Transportation Office shows some driver’s licenses that have yet to be distributed. INQUIRER / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Starting next month, motorists can apply for their driver’s license, which will be printed on plastic cards based on a schedule released by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Tuesday.

“I have already instructed our officials down to the regional level to prepare this list of schedules and finish it before Maundy Thursday. Our goal is to start the distribution process of the plastic-printed [licenses] next week,” LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II said in a statement.

According to Mendoza’s memorandum, up for renewal between April 15 and April 30 are drivers’ licenses with expiration dates between April 1 and Aug. 31, 2023, and from April 1 to 30 this year.

For licenses expiring between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023, and from May 1 to 31, 2024, these can be renewed from May 1 to 31.

For motorists holding licenses with expiration dates between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2024, and from June 1 to 30, 2024, their renewal schedule is from June 1 to 30.

“Failure of the driver to renew his/her driver’s license within the prescribed schedule shall render the license expired,” Mendoza said.

CA ruling

Around one million plastic cards were delivered to the LTO central office on Monday after the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Department of Transportation and LTO and ordered the lifting of the writ of preliminary injunction issued by a Quezon City court last year.

The injunction order prevented the delivery of 3.2 million plastic cards to the LTO, resulting in a shortage of plastic-printed driver’s licenses. The backlog is estimated at 4.1 million by the end of this month.

READ: LTO releases schedule for renewal of plastic-printed driver’s licenses

As a result, the agency had no choice but to release licenses printed only on paper.

With more plastic cards expected to be delivered soon, Mendoza expressed confidence that the LTO would be able to reduce the backlog while continuing to look for ways to ensure a sufficient supply for the rest of the year.

Preventive measure

According to Mendoza, they scheduled the release of plastic-printed driver’s licenses to avoid crowding at LTO offices nationwide.

“The list will ensure orderly distribution. This list will be posted in our LTO offices and on our social media accounts so we appeal to our clients to always keep themselves updated,” he said.

“The processing and claiming will be by schedule so that our LTO offices will not get crowded, and eventually, to [ensure] orderly processing and distribution,” he added.

Mendoza said he had also instructed regional directors to coordinate with the LTO central office for the delivery of plastic cards to district and satellite offices nationwide. INQ