THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) will run out of plastic cards for driver’s licenses in about two weeks despite a donation of four million cards from a private group.
LTO assistant secretary Vigor Mendoza II said his office is still waiting for the final opinion from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to ensure the legality of the donation.
“As far as card is concerned, wala pa tayong card. ‘Yung donation of four million card, we’re still awaiting the final OSG opinion para plantsado lang ‘yung the legal side,” he said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.
Mendoza added: “Ang totoo po d’yan, nauubusan na tayo ng card. We have recommended to the secretary the agency to agency acquisition from government printing offices na para mapabilis. Kasi wala. By the end of January, I think our inventory as of yesterday is only good for two weeks.”
Some LTO district offices in malls have already run out of plastic cards for driver’s licenses.
The LTO earlier said an association of medical clinics is donating four million plastic cards worth an estimated P160 million to the agency.
Mendoza said he had already been informed by the OSG that there is no problem with the donation.
“Kailangan natin ng black and white and we have to coordinate with Congress with the committee on transportation para malaman kung ano pa ang concern ng committee,” he said.
He also noted the donation must undergo a technical review, which would require approval from the Department of Science and Technology “to see ‘yung thickness, ‘yung weight, ‘yung quality of the material.”
He said the review could last three weeks.
He added that the four million donation would still not be enough, adding that the LTO foresees a need for 12 million cards this year. (ABS-CBN News)
