MANILA, Philippines - The controversial move of the Land Transportation Office to revert to paper driver’s licenses next year has been halted by Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus who has ordered the postponement of the bidding for the P500 million driver’s license supply contract set this Friday.
In a press statement, the DOTC said that De Jesus has ordered the bid “in abeyance” pending the resolution of issues raised by interested bidders.
De Jesus, it was learned, has instructed DOTC lawyers and LTO chief, Assistant Secretary Virginia Torres, to review the entire “terms of reference” of the project to assure a “level playing field,” and “to open the public bidding to a wide selection of bidders with the best concepts and offers as possible.”
The review that will be conducted is expected to result to the hammering out of technical specifications, which will lead to a new “bidding process.” De Jesus, in his instructions, had emphasized that the entire tender should be governed by “utmost transparency” and “shall have no taint whatsoever of wrongdoing,” stressing that these were the “hallmark of the new Aquino administration.”
The said DOTC and LTO officials were also instructed to specify “performance-based terms and conditions in the contract,” which means the specifications must address “the requirements of quality durability, and functionality.”
One of the potential bidders has filed a complaint with De Jesus earlier this month, saying that the “Terms of Reference” issued by the LTO for the project bidding favored a particular consortium bidding for the contract.
The LTO’s specification to have the new driver’s license to be “paper-based” was also questioned, in view of the worldwide trend to have all identification cards to be made of plastic.
Public transport groups led by the Pagkakaisa ng Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) had earlier noted that paper driver’s licenses would again be a headache for drivers since these are easily crumpled or get wet when exposed to liquid.
George San Mateo, Piston secretary general, recalled that when drivers’ licenses were in plastic cards, drivers usually bought duplicates to assure that they have replacements when the originals were ruined.
The DOTC said the LTO will continue to get its supply from the existing contractor. “This will assure a steady stream of licenses for those who apply for new ones or for renewal,” De Jesus said in the DOTC statement. - By Rainier Allan Ronda
