MANILA PHILIPPINES – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. presides over a sectoral meeting at the Kalayaan Hall in Malacañang Palace on Tuesday.
The meeting focuses on updates from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) regarding the status of the distribution of driver’s license cards and vehicle plates.
As of 30 April 2024, the LTO reveals a backlog of 4.01 million driver’s license cards, stemming from a court injunction issued on 13 October 2023 that halted deliveries by the supplier.
Of the 3.6 million cards delivered, only 62.7% have been distributed while 4.6% were spoiled.
The remaining 32.6% accounts for the current inventory on hand, totaling 1,175,278 cards.
To address the backlog, the LTO embarks on a comprehensive plan focusing on clearing the remaining backlog and prioritizing current demand post-June 30, 2024.
In a Press Briefing of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) earlier, LTO Chief Asec. Vigor Mendoza II assured that no more backlogs in drivers license card and license plate by July 1.
“ahh… humigit kumulang mga 9.7 million cards ang na bid out na po yan, ng ating….DOTr at LTO so there’s no reason why we will not have enough cards for the entire year. … dahil nga dito by July 1 of this year dapat wala na pong backlog.” Transportation Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza said this in Malacañang Press Corps, on Tuesday.
As part of the initiative, the Agency is in the process of procuring additional driver’s license card printer machines with 12.6% of the existing 339 printers encountering problems.
Moreover, the LTO has intensified its operational efforts by shifting to a 24-hour, 3-shift operation, significantly increasing the daily production of license plates from 28,000 to 48,600.
“At iyong mga hindi pa nag-renew, you have until May 31 to renew your licenses. Pagdating po ng Hunyo, ito na po iyong last first quarter of this year at saka iyong mag-expire po ng Hunyo, we are giving you the opportunity na i-renew na po ang inyong mga lisensiya at sapat na po iyong ating mga license cards,” Mendoza told to reporters.
Additionally, the LTO is exploring the option of outsourcing the printing of motorcycle plates to expedite the process and tackle the remaining 10.3 million backlogs effectively.