Lawyer Jose Art Tugade has resigned as head of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) due to differences with the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Former Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Jose Art Tugade (File photo)

In a statement shared by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Monday, May 22, Tugade said his resignation would allow Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista to choose the best person to work with.

"Even as DOTR and LTO both aim to succeed in serving the public, our methods to achieve that success differ," Tugade said.

"For this reason, I am stepping down, so Sec. Jimmy Bautista will have the free hand to choose who he can work best with," he added.

Despite this, Tugade said he would continue to support the LTO.

"I will continue to root for the LTO's success even as a private citizen because I will always share in Sec. Bautista's belief that our offices can be a formidable force for good in our country," he said.

Tugade is the son of former Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.

The LTO currently faces a supposed shortage of plastic cards for driver's licenses. This prompted the agency to print them on paper.