LTO seeks to resolve delays in printing of driver’s license cards by November

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) said on Tuesday that it hopes to resolve the delays in the printing of the plastic driver’s licenses by November.

Valenzuela City 2nd District Rep. Eric Martinez, who sponsored the Department of Transportation’s proposed budget of P180.9 billion for 2025, said that the delay in the printing was due to “bogged down engravers.”

“Just for the record we have enough plastic cards, but the printing was really the problem [...] sometime November we’ll be able to normalize things,” said Martinez during the budget deliberations at the House plenary.

The LTO began releasing plastic cards last April to those who were initially issued with paper driver’s license cards.

The resumption of the issuance of plastic driver’s licenses came after the Court of Appeals lifted the injunction order which prevented the agency from receiving more than 3 million plastic cards.

The lack of plastic cards forced the LTO, an attached agency to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), to issue paper-printed licenses in 2023.

The LTO said those who were initially issued with a paper license can receive the plastic card version via courier.

“They have a hotline number to call to, they call the hotline, they say the details of their paper license, and get back with them with a plastic card through a courier,” said Martinez.

But with the issue encountered with the printing of driver’s licenses, 1-Rider Partylist Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez asked the LTO if it can just resort to issuing e-licenses instead.

“Would it save your budget if we convert this to e-license?” Gutierrez asked. “Mayroon na tayong eGov app (We already have the eGov app) and part of that would include the security features that would enable proper identification for other licenses including the driver’s license.”

Martinez replied that an electronic driver’s license can help the DOTr and the LTO save up to P250 million a year.

Last year, the LTO launched the digital version of driver’s licenses as another option amid the shortage in plastic cards being experienced at the time.—RF, GMA Integrated News