RECENTLY, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has announced that it will be launching soon its new service improvement program with the creation of Driver’s License Renewal Offices (DLROs) at various shopping malls all over the country.
This development was wrapped up with the forging of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the LTO and Robinson’s Malls, one of the major mall businesses in the country today.
The coming up of DLROs in malls in the different parts of the country is part of the modernization program being undertaken by the LTO to address the growing number of complaints on the tedious process of getting or renewing a driver’s license in its offices.
Last week, a friend has caused the renewal of his driver’ license in one of the LTO licensing offices in the province. He has spent some considerably lengthy time in merely updating his driver’s license.
For him, the inconvenience is unbearable because of the lack of “breathing space” for hundreds of applying for new or renewing their licenses.
While the employees of the said office were inside an air-conditioned room, drivers’ license applicants are squeezed into bleachers far un-proportional to the number of clienteles the office is receiving daily.
As he told me, he was also fed up with the number of fixers greeting him and offering their services to accelerate the drivers’ license renewal process for an additional fee.
Aside from the insistent fixers, he has also met arrogant employees who according to him, pretended to the gods who holds the key to have the privilege of driving on roads with the issuance of a license.
They do not have empathy to the number of applicants waiting in long line while in heat and smelly place, added my friend as he told his tales to me.
With the opening of DLROs in malls soon, the LTO may be fulfilling its promise of providing much improved, convenient and fast services to the public. Since the government cannot provide services as the malls in the country can provide, many are looking forward for this development.
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It can be recalled that there was once a LTO licensing office at SM Pampanga who has provided much convenience, speed and ease to drivers license renewal applicants.
The services there are far better to the regular offices of the LTO in different parts of the region.
The then office has also provided the public with access to various services of the said mall and some food chains in case applicants will still be there during meal time. It also provided the public ample parking spaces without worries.
With a reason or two, the LTO at the said mall suddenly packed-up and left no other choice for people except to go to regular LTO offices.
The LTO at the provincial capitol building may have improved its edifice with its newly constructed building, but not its services due to longer queuing time and lack of better spaces for license applicants.
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I would like to commend, in addition to what colleague Ric Sapnu had in his column the City of San Fernando Traffic Management Division boss Renato “Pines” Pineda for his immediate action on the reported lack of parking spaces of some establishments along the Lazatin Boulevard.
The said problem is causing traffic congestion in the said thoroughfare and even poses danger to motorists, pedestrians and even to customers of the said establishments.
Pineda, although in hospital confinement (which I only learned later on), has managed to instruct his men to immediately act on the problem. Despite his slight medical condition, he is in monitor to what is happening in the city’s traffic situation. Job well done. Keep it up Sir.
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