SEN. Grace Poe yesterday took a swipe at the alleged lack of “thorough planning and estimation” of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) following reports of a shortage in license cards and vehicle plates.
Poe, who is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, said the numerous controversies involving the LTO has earned it “a notorious reputation of delivering short of what is expected.”
Poe made her remarks after LTO chief Jose Arturo Tugade said owners of new cars and motorcycles may have to make their own temporary plates amid the looming shortage of license plates, and that the agency will be issuing temporary drivers’ licenses which will be printed on pieces of paper as its supply of plastic cards was expected to run out this week.
She said the LTO seemingly lacks “thorough planning and estimation.”
“From license cards to motorcycle plates and car plates, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has earned a notorious reputation of delivering short of what is expected… It can’t always tell our people to rely on DIY and band-aid measures, which pose security risks and are prone to abuse,” Poe said in a statement.
Poe said the LTO should be transparent and “give the public a complete report” on the issues hounding the shortage of license cards and vehicle plates “to give a complete picture of the issues it is facing.”
She added the LTO should give the public the timeline when the deficiencies will be solved “and how it will do it.”
“Binabayaran ng motorista ang plaka at lisensya. Hindi katanggap-tanggap na sa huli, ang solusyon ay papel na kanya-kanyang imprenta. Hindi dapat taumbayan ang pinahihirapan sa sitwasyon na hindi naman nila kasalanan (Motorists pay for the vehicle plates and license cards. It is unacceptable that in the end, the solution is to print his own card or plates. The people should not be made to suffer in a situation that is not his fault),” she said.
On April 20, the LTO said that around 5.2 million driver’s licenses would be issued a temporary permit printed on paper as there is a shortage of the plastic material used in the card as it only has around 147,000 plastic cards in its inventory.
As a result, the LTO said it will extend the validity of licenses which were to expire on April 24 to October 31.
The LTO also said it expects a shortage in vehicle plates by June or July if the agency fails to procure the needed materials.
House Resolution No. 926 has been filed at the House of Representatives asking the appropriate committee to conduct an inquiry into the reported shortage.
“We want to know specifically and in detail where during the procurement process the Land Transportation Office keeps encountering problems over and over again… We will welcome suggestions from the LTO and the Department of Transportation on what changes can be made to the procurement process by removing unnecessary documents and stages,” the resolution read.
