The government will take over printing driver’s license to meet the 1.1 million backlog and produce car plates locally to ease the shortage of 6.6 million instead of importing.

Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade said during the House committee on transportation hearing on 10 proposed laws granting President Rodrigo Duterte emergency power to address traffic, Tugade said his department, and Presidential Communications Operations of Secretary Martin Andanar will enter into a memorandum of agreement to produce driver’s licenses using the government-owned National Printing Office (NPO).

“It is about time to solve this problem (on drivers’ license) because this is very annoying,” said Tugade in response to Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, chairman of the House committee on transportation.

“Secretary Andanar and I met to arrive at an understanding that printing drivers’ licenses will become government-to-government using its facility,” Tugade told the panel. He added that the five years validity of driver’s license from current three years will begin next month.

“Finding a printer is a problem but hopefully we can finalize the memorandum of agreement between Secretary Andanar and our office so we can solve the problem about drivers licenses,” Tugade said. DMS