LTO resolving 11-M ‘moto’ plates backlog

The Land Transportation Office has yet to deliver more than 11 million motorcycle license plates and 92,000 driver's licenses to intended recipients.

In a radio interview on Thursday, LTO chief Jose Arturo Tugade said the agency will resolve the ID backlogs by addressing the defective laser engraving machines printing licenses in some of their district and extension offices in the provinces.

Tugade admitted that the LTO has failed to have sufficient stocks to address the potential future breakdown of equipment. According to him, the agency expects the malfunctioning machines to be repaired before February 2023.

Pending the issuance of driver's license cards, LTO offices will provide motorists with temporary licenses on paper first, he said.

The LTO chief also vowed to streamline its digital portal for more efficient transactions. This was after the Land Transportation Management System experienced implementation delays since it came online due to resistance within the agency.

The system was launched to shorten the processing and acquisition time for drivers' licenses. It was followed by the launch of online medical certificate filing, online insurance, and the online motor vehicle registration system.