Unsolicited advice for LTO

John Lesaca

MOST of what I write in this column is culled from my personal experiences, observations and suggestions which, in my opinion, expresses the sentiments of many vehicle owners and road users. Hopefully, the relevant government agency gets to read this and acts on the issues and concerns.

Drivers’ licenses and vehicle plates

The eyes and ears of LTO (Land Transportation Office) officials must be fatigued by now, from complaints on the issuances of drivers’ licenses. To its credit, the LTO has managed to computerize its system, although it still requires personal appearances for verification processes. I believe that this can be done online as well, as most of us have gotten used to the idea of robots requiring us to prove that we are not robots.

The online exam is an excellent way of decongesting the long lines and minimizes the presence of fixers, which used to be rampant as to be considered the norm during my college days.

However, the issue of the nonavailability of plastic licenses can really be a pain in all parts of the body. For the life of me, I can’t understand why there is a supply shortage of these cards, it’s all just a matter of efficient management. Unless some political weight has been thrown at the agency to warrant the delay in the release of these cards, either in the supply chain, or in the data processing and printing.

I know that bagging the supply contract for these cards and license plates can be quite lucrative, but this tends to create the public perception that there is corruption: Businessmen make lots of money while the license owners languish with pieces of paper that are easily destroyed by repeated folding and opening.

My simple logic tells me that competition (having more than one or two suppliers) lowers the cost of products and increases the chances of getting better quality products.

Why not break the names of vehicle drivers into alphabetical letters that are grouped for equitable supply? Meaning, if there are more names starting with the letter “C” than “D,” then assign the D names (Daa, Dab, Dac…) so that each supplier has the same volume to provide.

So, why limit the car license plate supply contract to one or two companies? Why not break up the product into smaller “denominations” like getting a supplier to provide the letters AAA and all its combinations, another supplier to provide the BBB, and so forth. Taking the economies of scale into account, all the various combinations of AAA (AAB, AAC, AAD, etc.) will be enough to give a hefty profit to the supplier.

This way, the agency can easily monitor which supplier is falling short on the volume provided, as well as the quality (or the lack of it) of these car license plates.

I am assuming that, because the agency is already computerized, its IT (information technology) division can program the above allocations without much difficulty.

Plates on demand

Hey, this is a good way to raise more funds for the agency in a legitimate way. I have asked the LTO satellite branches about customized car plates, but I have been told that the agency stopped the practice. Why?

Practical test for motorcyclists

It has become very, very obvious that LTO should be stricter in the driving exam for motorcycle drivers. With motorcycles for sale at a very cheap price, motorcycles have become the popular mode of delivery and transport. However, they drive like crazy, weaving in and out among the lanes full of cars. I myself have been a hit-and-run victim by “motorcycle riders of the delivery kind,” and I was powerless to run after them because they are able to use every inch of available space to escape merrily and disappear fast before you can take out your phone camera to snap a picture of their plate numbers. Especially in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Philippine National Police and Constabulary Highway Patrol Group (CHPG) should strictly enforce the driving basics — all wheeled vehicles, motorcycles, tricycles, bicycles must fall in line and not zig and zag in between cars and lanes, posing a hazard, especially for their passenger(s). It’s like they always need to take a dump urgently at the nearest toilet, hence their reckless speed and bad driving behavior.

For efficient parking for persons with disabilities (PWD), LTO can deputize the National Council for Disability Affairs through a memorandum of agreement for the free issuance of PWD vehicle stickers. Its database can also be coordinated/synchronized with each other for more accurate data.

It will be a good thing to provide tablets to the CHPG connected to the LTO central database to determine expired registrations, licenses and history of violations.

Excuse me while I use my trusty black pentel pen to shade the faded letters and numbers of my car plates …