Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 26) — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Monday announced that the bid for the 5.2 million plastic cards for driver’s license was already awarded last week.
Transportation Secretary Jimmy Bautista said Banner Plastic Cards Inc. won the bidding for the project.Bautista said the first batch of cards comprising 500,000 pieces is expected to be delivered in 30 to 60 days.He noted the lowest bidder was disqualified after the company was found to have had issues with delayed delivery of goods in other government projects.
Bautista said the LTO only has around 70,000 plastic cards in its inventory, and they are reserved for departing OFWs.
As a measure to address the depleting stocks of plastic cards for driver’s license, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) decided to extend all expiring driver’s license until October, and licenses of new applicants and those who insist to renew their driver’s license were just printed behind their official receipt.
In April, former LTO chief Jay Art Tugade said the printed official receipt has a QR code which can be authenticated by traffic enforcers.
Tugade earlier blamed the DOTr for the delay in the procurement, saying that the agency took over the bidding early this year.But the DOTr said the LTO failed to carry-out the early bidding process last year, thus the delay.
