LTO has 270,000 driver’s license plastic cards left

MANILA, Philippines —  The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has 270,000 plastic cards left in its inventory amid legal obstacles faced by the agency, which?supply could last for only two weeks or until the end of January.

Historical demand for licenses is around 550,000 cards per month, according to LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II.

Mendoza hopes the court will lift the preliminary injunction issued last year and release 3.2 million cards.?

The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 215 had issued a preliminary injunction stopping the delivery of 3.2 million plastic cards for driver’s licenses under a P240.1-million contract with Banner Plasticard Inc.

The current backlog of license cards is around 2.6 million while the annual requirement this year will stand at around six million, Mendoza said.

This means the LTO will need over eight million license cards in 2024 to address the backlog.

The agency is working with the Office of the Solicitor General to process four million license cards donated by the Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers.

Mendoza is optimistic that the Department of Transportation will approve LTO’s proposed agency-to-agency bidding for the printing of plastic cards.

The LTO has extended the validity of driver’s licenses until April 2024 amid the shortage.

Meanwhile, Mendoza said they are preparing impounding facilities as the LTO is cracking down on colorum public utility vehicles and unregistered motor vehicles.

The LTO expects P43 billion in revenue with its improved no registration, no travel policy, which is 28 percent higher than the P31-billion target in 2023.