LTO cancels 4 million driver’s license card donation

MANILA, Philippines —  The Land Transportation Office has canceled a donation of four million plastic cards from a private group over possible legal issues, LTO chief Vigor Mendoza said yesterday.

The donation by the Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers, worth P160 million, represents nearly half of the LTO’s annual requirement of plastic cards for driver’s licenses. The LTO and PSMed signed a memorandum of agreement on Dec. 18, 2023 for the group to deliver the cards in the first week of January.

Mendoza said that the LTO wants full transparency in the procurement and distribution of the license cards.

“The LTO is trying its very best to explore any and all solutions inside and outside the box. But anything we do must be done as instructed, with full transparency and no conditions,” he said.

Mendoza explained that the Office of the Solicitor General has no guidelines to ensure the transparent use and distribution of donated cards from a private organization.

He said that the donation is still subject to government procurement laws.

Mendoza added that a government-to-government deal could be the easier option, as this is provided for under the law.

Meanwhile, the LTO said that its “no registration, no travel” policy is gaining traction as the agency was able to register 140,000 delinquent vehicles in the first two weeks of this year.

The LTO-National Capital Region said that 11,745 motor vehicles and 20,625 motorcycles were registered from Jan. 1 to 23.

Mendoza earlier said that around 24.7 million vehicles, or around 60 percent of all vehicles plying the country’s roads, had expired registration.