Personnel of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Dagupan District Office are working double time to address a backlog in the processing of driver's license (DL), which has reached over 16,000.

In fact, the office has already reduced the number to 16,725 from 18,108 after it was able to print licenses with the arrival of new DL cards. 

The office has decided to open on Saturdays to mitigate the situation and accommodate those who can only visit the office on weekends.

"To address that para hindi maapektuhan ang operation ang weekly basis, we will open on Saturday, kasi may mga nagtatrabaho na available lang on Saturday,” Romel Dawaton, Chief of LTO Dagupan District Office, said.

During weekdays, the LTO manages to print 50 to 75 licenses daily, operating on a walk-in policy rather than conducting mass printing.

Having a DL card is crucial for motorists as it serves as proof of their legal right to drive.

“Kasi kapag may DL cards alam talaga na may [nga] lisensya kami,” Amado Bati, a driver, said.

As of this writing, there are no issues with the supply of DL cards, which is sufficient for the LTO Dagupan District's daily operations.