LTO expects 2 million more plastic cards by May

SECURITY CHECK NEEDED Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, who inspected the plastic cards delivered to the Land Transportation Office on Wednesday, said these would first be examined by the Department of Science and Technology to determine if these comply with specifications, particularly security features. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Another 2.2 million plastic cards will be turned over to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) by May, which Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista says will help narrow the agency’s backlog in plastic-printed drivers’ licenses nationwide.

Bautista went to the LTO central office in Quezon City on Wednesday to inspect the one million plastic cards received by the agency on Monday, after the Court of Appeals lifted a lower court’s injunction order on the delivery of 3.2 million plastic cards by Banner Plastic Cards Inc.

READ: Plastic drivers’ license cards finally out in April

The LTO had awarded to Banner a P240 million contract to provide 5.2 million plastic cards in June 2023. However, a Quezon City regional trial court blocked the delivery in October that same year based on a petition filed by the losing bidder. At the time, Banner had turned over only 1.9 million plastic cards, with 3.3 million more to go.

“[There] will be around 2.2 million more plastic cards that will be delivered [45 days after the delivery of the one million cards]. This will be enough to address the backlog on drivers’ licenses,” Bautista said during his inspection.

DOST inspection

According to the Department of Transportation secretary, the plastic cards will still need to be inspected by experts from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to determine if these comply with the terms of reference under the contract, particularly the provision on security features.

“There are added security features which the LTO knows, and at the same time, we also want the DOST to check if these plastic cards will last up to 10 years, which is the maximum validity of our driver’s license,” Bautista said.

Once the DOST clears the plastic cards, these will be immediately downloaded to LTO regional offices, which will start processing applications for plastic driver’s license cards on April 15.

Motorists can apply for one depending on the expiration date of their current license, according to a memorandum released by the LTO on Tuesday.

Those whose licenses expire between April 1 and Aug. 31, 2023, and from April 1 to 30 this year, can apply for renewal between April 15 and 30.

For licenses expiring between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023, and from May 1 to 31, 2024, the renewal dates are from May 1 to 31. For licenses with expiration dates between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2024, and from June 1 to 30, 2024, the renewal schedule is from June 1 to 30.

“Our motorists have waited for these … so it is just [right] that they [be] issued … at the soonest possible time,” Bautista said.“We apologize to all our affected kababayans for this particular inconvenience and we assure them that we are doing everything to address the backlog and to prevent a repeat of this incident,” he added.

In January, LTO chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said the agency needed around 10 million to 12 million plastic cards this year—at least 6.5 million for the regular demand in 2024, and another 2.6 million to address the backlog from the previous year.