LTO will extend validity of expiring driver's licenses for one year

The Land Transportation Office's (LTO) woes with supplying the public with driver's license cards are far from over. With LTO unable to supply plastic cards after receiving a temporary restraining order (TRO) last August, those who wish to renew their driver's licenses will have to settle for a paper license for now.

Since there will be another backlog of driver's license cards, Agri party-list representative Wilbert Lee suggested that with the renewal of driver's licenses in limbo due to the shortage of cards, he suggested to the LTO that expiring licenses should automatically be extended for one year.

Recently, LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II announced that they will indeed extend the validity of driver's licenses for one year. This comes after lawmakers looked over the proposed 2024 budget of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) last Monday. During the deliberations, Northern Samar 1^st District Rep. Paul Daza confirmed that the LTO has agreed to allow the one-year extension of driver's licenses that cannot be renewed at this point because of the pending case.

Mendoza then reconfirmed Daza's statement, stating that the one-year extension would take effect. He added that the LTO would implement smooth extension procedures for expiring driver's licenses despite the agency being optimistic that the TRO placed against them would be lifted.

This is not the first time the LTO has extended the validity of driver's licenses. Earlier this year, then LTO Chief Jayart Tugade extended the validity of driver's licenses expiring from April 24 to October 31, 2023.

The LTO originally expected that the supply of plastic cards would normalize this September with both the agency and Banner Plastic Card Inc. aiming to stick to the initial timeline of processing 1 to 1.5 million plastic cards every 60 days until it has fulfilled its contract of 5.2 million plastic cards. But with the TRO still in effect, the LTO will have increased backlogs in providing plastic cards to driver's license holders.

Source: Inquirer