THE Land Transportation Office-Davao Region (LTO-Davao) announced on Wednesday, April 25, 2024, that drivers can now claim their plastic driver's licenses at its office at Ecoland.
This, following the extended suspension of the distribution of plastic driver’s licenses due to the backlog of 4.1 million cards across the country.
In an AFP-PNP press conference, LTO-Davao Director Eleanor Calderon said that the plastic cards are now available in their office, fronting SM City Ecoland.
“We can give to all those holding paper (license) and those who will renew the driver’s license we can give them cards,” Calderon said.
Calderon also announced that the release of license cards for drivers who registered from April to August 2023 started from April 1 until 30.
While those who register from September to December 2023 can claim their cards from May 1 to 31 and those who registered from January to March this year may visit the office from June 1 to 30.
Meanwhile, licenses renewed in April 2024 onwards will receive plastic cards immediately.
“As I speak, if you will renew at LTO there is already a card because it’s not always that our backlogs are accumulated so if you will renew for now there is a card but to those holding their papers there is a schedule [for releasing],” she said.
According to Calderon, there are 139,000 drivers in the jurisdiction waiting for plastic licenses.
By June 2024, the LTO hopes to have cleared the backlog. There are 4.1 million driver's licenses pending nationwide.
Motorcycle license backlogs are from 2015 through 2017.
Meanwhile, as of the present, there is a 7-million vehicle plate backlog in the country.
The LTO is collaborating with its supplier to hasten the production of plates. DEF