Recto: AlDub might already have kids before LTO delivers licenses

Sen. Ralph Recto questioned Monday the capability of the Land Transportation Office to deliver the performance targets it set for itself in requesting Congress for a P1.97 billion budget for 2016.

Recto said the LTO promised that car plates and stickers for brand-new cars will be issued within seven days; registration of old cars, complete with car plates and stickers will be done within two hours; new driver’s license will be processed within four hours; and old driver’s license will be renewed within 60 minutes.

But the senator said these were the same performance pledges the LTO promise for 2015.

“Believe it or not, these are actually the same performance targets the LTO has set for itself this year,” Recto said in a press statement.

 “So we should ask them if they are now delivering plates for brand-new cars within a week, and what gives them the confidence to renew the same promise of processing speed for next year,” he said.

The senator said like a car being brought to them for service, he would like the LTO officials to act like mechanics and give a rundown of problems or a complete diagnostics report, and how they will fix the problem.

“Like a good casa, tell us when it will be fixed,” Recto said.

"Kasi pagdating sa paghihintay ng plaka at lisensya, walang forevermore. Baka magkaanak na si Aldub, wala pa ring lisensya," he quipped.

He said while he promised to raise the issue of “LTO deliverables” with Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) officials when the agency’s budget request is tackled by the Senate, his focus “will be on the problems the LTO is facing that cause delays in the issuance of car plates.”

“Kulang ba kayo sa tao o sa kagamitan o sa pondo? At kung natukoy na ang mga problema, ano ang solusyon?” he asked.

The LTO will also receive P801.8 million from Road Users Tax collections and P82.8 million from “seat belt fines,” raising its operating budget to P1.97 billion.

For 2016, LTO’s major final outputs include the registration of 8,331,490 motor vehicles (MV) and the issuance of 5,247,060 driver’s licenses and permits.

For vehicle registration, it vowed that “90 percent of new registrations completed with MV plates and stickers within seven days and 90 percent of renewals of registration completed with MV plates and stickers within two hours.”

On driver licensing, LTO made the commitment that “90 percent of new applications for driver’s license acted upon within four hours of receipt of compliant applications and 90 percent of applications for renewal of driver’s licenses acted upon within one hour of receipt of compliant applications.”

Recto noted that the “wording of the promissory note on the processing of driver’s license is somewhat vague.” —NB, GMA News