MANILA, Philippines - The Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) warned the public about fake Philippine International Driving Permits (PIDPs) being sold by unscrupulous persons. Only AAP is authorized to issue the PIDP, which entitles the holder to drive in more than 100 countries all over the world. A PIDP issued in any place other than AAP is fake and using it can get you into serious trouble while traveling or working overseas, AAP Corporate Secretary and legal counsel Nestor Mejia said.
Mejia advised those planning to travel and drive abroad, such as OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) taking jobs as drivers in the Middle East, to beware of persons claiming to know a more convenient, faster and supposedly cheaper way of getting a PIDP. He gave as an example the case of four OFWs who paid P10,000 each to someone who promised to get four PIDPs for them. At AAP, the fee for a PIDP is only P1,800.
You can apply for a PIDP and get it in less than a day at the AAP main office at 683 Aurora Blvd., Quezon City. AAP satellite offices in Alabang, Makati, San Fernando, Pampanga, Cebu and Davao also accept PIDP applications. At the Alabang and Makati satellite offices of AAP, the PIDP is ready for pick-up on the day after the requirements are submitted while at the AAP office in San Fernando, three days and in Cebu and Davao, it is released three to five days after submission of requirements.
For more information on the PIDP, call the AAP Hotline 723-0808 or 723-0809 or visit an AAP office or online at www.aap.org.ph.