A deputy minority leader has called on the leadership of the House of Representatives to investigate the reported shortage of plastic identification cards (IDs) for driver’s licenses and alleged delays encountered in the procurement of the IDs.
Deputy Minority Leader Bernadette Herrera filed House Resolution 926 after the Land Transportation Office (LTO) announced last April 20 that it will roll out temporary driver’s license documents printed on the back of official receipts, citing an inventory of 147,000 driver’s license cards across the country, which is projected to run out by the last week of April 2023.
“I have just filed a proposed resolution calling for an investigation, in aid of legislation and consistent with Congressional oversight over the Executive branch, on the alleged shortage of plastic identification cards for driver’s licenses and alleged delays encountered in the procurement of the IDs,” she said.
“Congress is still in the process of amending government procurement laws. Bills on procurement are pending before the House committee on revision of laws and other committees,” she added.
According to the LTO, the agency will, in the meantime, issue temporary driver’s license documents printed on paper with a unique QR code, which can be scanned for verification purposes by law enforcers.
“We want to know specifically and in detail where during the procurement process the Land Transportation Office keeps encountering problems over and over again,” said Herrera.
“We will welcome suggestions from the LTO and the Department of Transportation [DOTr] on what changes can be made to the procurement process by removing unnecessary documents and stages,” she added.
Herrera said the Anti-Red Tape Authority will also be invited to make sure they have given the House their inputs, findings, and recommendations.
ARTA is the lead agency on removing red tape and streamlining processes in government.
“We have confidence in the leadership of the LTO in the person of its Chief, Assistant Secretary Jay Art Tugade with DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista at the helm. We are aware the problem has its origins before he was appointed to the LTO and that he acted with dispatch upon learning of the problem. The reforms he has been implementing at LTO prove Assistant Secretary Tugade is a results-oriented reformer and manager,” she said.
The lawmaker said LTO claims that it could not have undertaken procurement activities considering that Tugade only assumed office on November 17, 2022.
“We also want to know who were incompetent, negligent and grossly negligent in their duties and responsibilities because they should be held liable and accountable. If they are not the right fit for their jobs, then maybe they could be transferred to positions, roles, or offices which are not as critical as the procurement process,” Herrera added.
Herrera said the investigation also seeks to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing procurement rules and regulations to ensure that they do not unduly impede the provision of essential government services to the public.