Validity of driver's license extended for one year – LTO

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 5) — Motorists can still use their expired driver's license as the Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Monday said it will extend the validity of licenses for one year while the production of driver's license cards is still on hold.

"We confirm the one-year extension [of the validity of driver's license]," LTO Chairman Vigor Mendoza II said before the House Committee on Appropriations after Agri Party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee and Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza appealed to the LTO to help motorists with their driver's license renewal.

"I'd like to confirm with the LTO that they will agree with the committee, and some members, to go ahead and allow one-year renewal of those drivers’ licenses that cannot be renewed at this point because of the pending case," Daza said.

The validity of the driver's licenses was previously extended to Oct. 31 due to the shortage of plastic cards.

In August, the LTO said a Quezon City Regional Court stopped the awarding of the contract for the production of driver's license cards, placing 1.7 million backlogs in limbo.

READ: LTO ordered to stop production of driver's license cards, 1.7M backlog put on hold

The court's 20-day TRO follows a petition from AllCard, Inc., the company that was disqualified from the bidding for the supply deal. This is despite having the lowest bid of ₱176.85 million, far from the winning bid of ₱240.1 million.

In case the TRO against the production of driver's license cards remains in effect after the 20-day period, Mendoza said motorists will not pay any extension fees for their licenses.

"Hindi po nila kailangan bayaran 'yung extension fee pero ‘yun po ay pinag-aaralan po namin because it will have a direct impact sa ating revenue-generating capacity for the year," Mendoza said.

[Translation: They do not need to pay for the extension fee but we're studying that because it will have a direct impact on our revenue-generating capacity for the year.]

The 20-day TRO is expected to end on Wednesday.