Bong Go urges DOTr to help LTO resolve license plates shortage
Published May 1, 2023 02:01 am
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has called on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to help the Land Transportation Office (LTO) address the shortage in plastic driver’s license plates.
Go said it is imperative for the government to have a timely and holistic solution to reduce the impact on motorists who are already facing various challenges.
“Kawawa naman po ang mga drivers natin na mahirap. Huwag po sanang mas pahirapan pa. Pagtulungan dapat ng buong gobyerno na masolusyunan ang problemang ito at huwag ipasa ang burden sa mga ordinaryong Pilipino (Please don’t make it harder for our drivers who are already poor. The entire government should work together to solve this problem and not pass the burden on to ordinary Filipinos),” Go said in a statement.
Go said he is concerned over the potential inconveniences of issuing paper-based temporary licenses, as vehicle owners would eventually need to visit the LTO offices again to have them replaced.
The senator recalled how the Duterte administration made efforts to extend the validity of driver’s licenses to reduce the frequency of visits to government offices.
“Kaya nga po noong panahon ni dating pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte, ginawang five years na po ang validity ng ating (driver’s license) card at kapag wala kang violation ay maaaring maging ten years po ito (That's why during the time of former president (Rodrigo) Duterte, the validity of our (driver's license) card was made five years and if you don't have a violation, it can be ten years),” said Go.
“Ibig sabihin, para hindi na po pabalik-balik ang mga kababayan natin na pumunta ng opisina at pumila doon (That is, so that our compatriots will not have to go back and forth to the office and stand in line there),” he said.
He said it is important for the DOTr and its attached offices and agencies to provide more efficient public service, especially in support of drivers who may already be facing financial challenges in their line of work.
Go recalled LTO chief Jose Arturo Tugade has stated that plans to acquire plastic cards had been in place since December of the preceding year.
But according to Tugade, the DOTr Special Order No. 2023-024 issued on January 25 this year, hindered the LTO from making the purchase, as the directive mandated consolidation of procurement processes across all its agencies for transactions over P50-million.
Still, he said it is important to pursue a unified approach among all the involved agencies, encouraging them to actively collaborate to find a comprehensive and effective solution to the ongoing shortage of plastic driver’s license cards.
“Alam n'yo, tayong mga nasa gobyerno, unahin po natin ang comfort at convenience ng bawat Pilipino. Huwag pong pahirapan. Dapat po na-anticipate na kung magkakaroon po ng shortage ng supply ng card (You know, those of us in the government should prioritize the comfort and convenience of every Filipino. Don't make it hard for them. It should have been anticipated if there will be a shortage of card supply),” said Go.
“Eh, nagbabayad naman po ang Pilipino. Bakit bibigyan ng papel? Bakit papahirapan? Gawan po dapat ng paraan (Well, Filipinos pay. Why give paper? Why make it hard? There must be a way," he emphasized.