EDITORIAL - Long wait for services

Finally, the Land Transportation Office began releasing driver’s license cards yesterday. LTO officials said they had shortened the process of license renewal. Because of the massive backlog in the past months, however, LTO offices appeared swamped yesterday, and drivers who had held on to temporary licenses complained of long waits for the new cards.

Many had been going back and forth to the LTO for the license cards, whose release was delayed by a Commission on Audit order in September 2013 stopping the office from dealing with the previous longtime supplier, Amalgamated Motors Philippines Inc. Complying with the COA order, the LTO opened the supply contract to bidding, which was won by Allcard Plastics. The company is supplying five million cards, but the first batch is available only in Metro Manila.

The mess had led to a backlog of 1,225,789 license cards. That’s a lot of unhappy motorists, many of whom are also frustrated over long waits for vehicle registration stickers and license plates while at the same time being required to replace old plates.

At least the new driver’s license cards are finally being rolled out. The government has a lot of catching up to do in delivering services expected of the LTO and its mother agency, the Department of Transportation and Communications. In a recent informal poll, businessmen ranked the DOTC among the worst performing agencies. Much of that perception is related to the failure to deliver requirements for drivers and vehicles apart from the continuing mess in the railway services and mass transportation facilities.

People are wondering if they have to endure many more months of inefficiency. If DOTC officials are incapable of doing the job, there’s still time for President Aquino to find replacements.