Talk about short-lived reprieves: A Quezon City Regional Trial Court branch has now issued a preliminary injunction against the driver’s license plastic card supply deal between the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Banner Plasticard.
Basically, for those expecting to get their driver’s licenses in plastic card form after the LTO issued a new renewal schedule earlier this month and assured it already has a steady supply of plastic cards, you’ll be in for another wait—an indefinite wait this time around.
If you recall, a temporary restraining order against the supply deal was issued in August then lapsed in September, allowing the LTO to resume the printing of driver’s licenses. But once the preliminary injunction takes effect, the deliveries of new cards is effectively halted until the case is resolved.
In an interview with TeleRadyo Serbisyo, LTO chief Atty. Vigor Mendoza II said: “Ang maaapektuhan, yung current usage. Yung dapat kasi nung Oktubre, if you filed a license [renewal or application] in October, you would get it automatically.
“Ngayon mapapahinto natin yan dahil magkukulang tayo ng card.”
Mendoza said the bidding process for around 4.2 million plastic cards for 2024 may be accelerated, so that the contract may be awarded around January. For now, with its remaining card supply, the LTO will prioritize printing cards for driver’s licenses that expired in April to slowly eliminate the backlog.
This latest development will lead to a delay of at least two months in the procurement of driver’s license cards. As of this writing, the LTO has not backtracked on its revised driver’s license renewal schedule, with Mendoza explaining that the injunction has not yet taken effect.
