MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is looking to resolve the backlog of over 90,000 in driver’s licenses due to defective laser engravers by the first quarter of next year, an official said yesterday.
LTO chief Arturo Jay Tugade said they are just awaiting parts to repair laser engravers of dozens of district offices, which led to the backlog in licenses.
Tugade expressed hope that all laser engravers would be repaired by Feb. 1, 2023 to finally resolve the backlog.
“Nasa Customs na raw ang piyesa na kailangan for the repairs. Kailangan na lang maikabit isa-isa at ma-evaluate ang mga machines,” he said.
Data from the LTO showed that there is a backlog of over 92,000 license cards in regional offices nationwide.
Tugade said they requested the LTO district offices to print cards in other licensing offices to reduce the backlog.
Tugade said the LTO is still at fault as it failed to consider the breakdown of laser engravers due to its sensitivity and possible wear and tear.
The LTO chief said they are working to repair the defective laser engravers amid lack of funding to procure new ones.
Meanwhile, the LTO said it would do away with using security paper for printed official receipts or ORs as the agency slowly shifts to digitalized and paperless transactions.
Traffic enforcers and deputized LTO agents are advised not to ask apprehended drivers to show their OR if a license card has been presented.