The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has secured the delivery of around four million plastic cards for the printing of driver’s licenses.

LTO chief Vigor D. Mendoza II said it means that the agency will no longer issue paper-printed driver’s licenses since the four million plastic cards are enough to cover the remaining backlog and the daily usage of driver’s license through application and renewal of licenses.

“I would like to announce to our clients, the Filipino people, that the LTO will no longer issue paper driver licenses, we are back to issuing plastic driver’s licenses,” said Mendoza.

Mendoza also announced that the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has already elevated the injunction issued by a Quezon City court for the delivery of around 3.3 million plastic cards which were among those procured early this year.

Early this year, the LTO, through the Department of Transportation, procured 5.2 million plastic cards to address the millions of backlog in driver’s license. A losing bidder, however, filed a case to stop the awarding of the delivery of the plastic cards.

Of the 5.2 million plastic cards bought, only around 1.9 million were delivered before a Quezon City court issued an injunction that stopped the delivery of the remaining 3.3 million. 

If the Court of Appeals would rule in favor of the OSG petition, Mendoza said this would mean additional 3.3 million plastic cards on top of the four million plastic cards that are expected to be delivered starting next month.

“This is really good news for all of us. And we in the LTO are very happy that everything is coming together na. We are back on the right track,” he added.

“And we are likewise happy that under the administration of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos were were able to address this backlog on driver's license," he added.

On license plates, around one million metal plates are currently produced every month and right now, Mendoza said the backlog on four-wheel vehicles were already wiped out.