Mendoza lauds  Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers for unconditional donation of 4M pieces of plastic cards, says donation enough to wipe out backlog in driver's license

Land Transportation Office Chief Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II on Monday said they have entered into an agreement with the Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers for the unconditional donation of four million pieces of plastic cards that will be used in the printing of driver's licenses.

Mendoza signed the agreement with PSMED President Dr. Albert Alegre on Monday, 18 December 2023, the Deed of Donation will pave the way for the delivery of 300,000 pieces of plastic cards, 21 days after the LTO issues an authority (or in the first week of January 2024) to the supplier to use the design of the LTO driver's license.

The same agreement stated that 300,000 pieces would be delivered every 15 days after the first delivery is completed and 100,000 pieces for the last delivery until the four million pieces of plastic cards are completed.

The donation of the four million pieces of plastic cards was consulted with the Department of Transportation and underwent a strict review process by the office of DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista.

With a commitment of four million plastic cards, Mendoza said new applications and renewal of driver's license will now be issued with plastic cards, the priority is still the overseas Filipino workers.

Aside from the plastic cards, Dr. Alegre said that they will also donate four sets of digital microscopes, a UV lens, and a decoding lens as part of the measure to ensure the security of the production of the driver's license.

"On behalf of the men and women of the LTO and the Filipino people, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to the Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers headed by Dr. Albert Alegre for this generous donation which we consider as an early Christmas gift to millions of our clients," said Mendoza.

"This donation is timely as it came at a time when we in the LTO are facing a serious challenge of addressing the backlog and daily usage of plastic-printed driver's licenses amid the uncertainty on the outcome of the legal battle on the plastic cards that the LTO procured early this year," he added.

For his part, Dr. Alegre said the donation was approved by members and officials of the PSMED after learning of the legal obstacle in addressing the backlog on driver's licenses.

"Our organization, the Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers has been an advocate of efficient land transportation services that include the issuance of driver's licenses to qualified drivers and applicants," Dr. Alegre said.

"We cannot just close our eyes on the issue of plastic card shortage when we know that we are capable of alleviating the concerns of millions of motorists of having expired licenses and paper-printed driver's licenses."

"We always maintain that a plastic-printed driver's license is an integral part of the authority of giving a privilege to the people to drive a motor vehicle and we share the commitment of our LTO Chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II in addressing this problem in the soonest possible time. That's why we immediately contacted him when we reached a consensus in our organization for this donation," Dr. Alegre added.

Mendoza also clarified that there are no strings attached to the donation, saying the PSMED's decision is purely out of the love of the country and shared advocacy for efficient land transportation and road safety.

"Makakaasa ang ating mga kasamahan sa PSMED na hindi namin sila bibiguin sa kanilang hangarin na maging maayos at magkaroon ng may malasakit na paglilingkod sa ating mga motorista at mga road users. Kasangga ninyo ang inyong LTO sa hanagaring ito," Mendoza said.

Mendoza also relayed to Dr. Alegre and the entire PSMED the expression of gratitude of Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista.

Citing the Deed of Donation, Mendoza explained that the four million plastic cards that will be donated by the PSMED are within the parameters and technical specifications of the current LTO driver's license cards.

He added that if there were cards from the four million donations that were rejected by the security system, all of them would be deemed undelivered and would be replaced at no cost to the DOTr and the LTO.

The PSMED, according to Dr. Alegre, shall shoulder all taxes and other expenses concerning the donation of the four million plastic cards.

Mendoza earlier said that the four million plastic cards donated by the PSMED is enough to address the backlog and the daily usage of plastic-printed driver's licenses through application and renewal.