NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
LTO To Return To Paper Licenses
LTO Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor Mendoza II's Press Conference now happening at LTO Central Office, Quezon City. One of the main points of discussion is the latest update on the Driver's License. Screengrab from LTO
The court has issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the issuance of driver's licenses, forcing the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to revert to paper licenses.
In an interview, LTO Asec. Vigor Mendoza explained, "The TRO has a 20-day lifetime, and what the court is currently issuing is a preliminary injunction. This means that our card deliveries will be halted until the case reaches finality or the court orders otherwise. The moment the injunction becomes effective, our supplier will be unable to deliver any more cards."
This means that licenses will return to paper format temporarily, affecting the issuance timeline. Mendoza continued, "Our timeline will be affected since the injunction isn't yet effective. AllCard Inc. needs to post a bond, and as of last week, they haven't filed one yet. So, our deliveries continue for now. To date, our supplier has delivered close to 2 billion cards. We'll use these in the coming weeks. But once the injunction becomes effective, the bond gets approved, and we'll only cater to backlogs. We anticipate a 2-month delay, and we have no choice but to revert to paper in the meantime."
When asked about prioritizing physical cards for specific groups, such as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Mendoza said, "OFWs are our top priority. People who need their cards for their livelihoods are our main concern. We have coordinated with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to personally address the needs of our OFWs, with LTO representatives accompanying the DFA abroad."
Regarding early license renewals under the current circumstances, Mendoza explained, "We do not allow early renewals under the present setup because we are working to clear the backlog according to a schedule."
In an interview, LTO Asec. Vigor Mendoza explained, "The TRO has a 20-day lifetime, and what the court is currently issuing is a preliminary injunction. This means that our card deliveries will be halted until the case reaches finality or the court orders otherwise. The moment the injunction becomes effective, our supplier will be unable to deliver any more cards."
This means that licenses will return to paper format temporarily, affecting the issuance timeline. Mendoza continued, "Our timeline will be affected since the injunction isn't yet effective. AllCard Inc. needs to post a bond, and as of last week, they haven't filed one yet. So, our deliveries continue for now. To date, our supplier has delivered close to 2 billion cards. We'll use these in the coming weeks. But once the injunction becomes effective, the bond gets approved, and we'll only cater to backlogs. We anticipate a 2-month delay, and we have no choice but to revert to paper in the meantime."
When asked about prioritizing physical cards for specific groups, such as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Mendoza said, "OFWs are our top priority. People who need their cards for their livelihoods are our main concern. We have coordinated with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to personally address the needs of our OFWs, with LTO representatives accompanying the DFA abroad."
Regarding early license renewals under the current circumstances, Mendoza explained, "We do not allow early renewals under the present setup because we are working to clear the backlog according to a schedule."
Oct 23, 2023
