LTO Still Battling License Card Shortage

Are you planning to renew your Driver’s License anytime soon? If so, then don’t be surprised if a Land Transportation Office personnel only issues you a paper (official receipt) that will serve as your temporary license while the government agency is still experiencing shortage of License Card.

LTO spokesperson Jason Salvador explained that the shortage is primarily due to the recent order from the Commission on Audit (COA) which disallowed the payment to the Amalgamated Motors Philippines Inc. (AMPI), the company that used to supply license cards to LTO, because of the lack of proper contract.

License Card

The issue was brought up when the Senate committee on finance exposed that the Land Transportation Office has been paying AMPI to supply the agency with license card for more than two decades without proper contract.

During the inquest, the committee also discovered that the contract between LTO and AMPI has been expired since 1990 and was renewed annually until 2006 without public bidding.

Meanwhile, AMPI apologizes for the mishap and points out that the scarcity in license card is due to the recent issue in port congestion. The firm expects that things will start to normalize “within the next few days”.

Source

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MRT-3 suspended due to communications breakdown

The Metro Rail Transit Line 3 is halting operations again today due to another technical problem. This time, they’re not pointing fingers to anyone.

According to the spokesperson of the Light Rail Transit Authority and MRT-3, Hernando Cabrera, they were forced to suspend the operation of the only train system along EDSA due to communications system issue. The train service was halted earlier noon.

Due to the difficulty in proper two-way constant communication between the train operators and MRT’s control center, the management could not risk anymore incident. There are still no words when will they resume normal operation.

MRT-3 has been the talk of the town over the past week due to the unfortunate accident of the train system and the immediate band-aid solution that limits the speed of the trains to 40 kph

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DOTC enforces revised penalties on road violations

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is implementing a long list of revised fines and penalties for traffic violations. This is now in effect so be sure you’re updated to avoid being caught off-guard when you’re driving in the metro.

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DOTC’s list stretches to over 20 pages so we’re listing down some of the important ones to take note of as casual motorists:

Driving without a valid driver’s license/conductor’s permitPhp3,000 This includes driving with an expired, revoked, suspended, inappropriate driver’s license restriction code, fake driver’s license, and student driver driving without being accompanied by a duly licensed driver.

Reckless drivingPhp2,000 (first offense), Php 3,000 (second offense), Php10,000 (subsequent offense) No person shall operate a motor vehicle on any highway recklessly or without reasonable caution considering the width, traffic, grades, crossing, curvatures, visibility, other conditions of the highway or so to endanger the property of the safety or rights of any person.

Failure to wear seat belt while drivingPhp1,000 (first offense), Php2,000 (second offense), Php5,000 (third offense) This includes allowing a child 6 years old and below to be seated on the front passenger seat.

Failure to wear seat belt as a passengerPhp3,000 for both the driver and the operator for every violation. For Public Utility Vehicles, failure to post appropriate signages instructing front seat passengers to wear seat belts when inside the vehicle.

Failure to wear the standard protective motorcycle helmet for the driver and back riderPhp1,500 (first offense), Php3,000 (second offense), Php 5,000 (third offense), Php10,000 (fourth and succeeding offenses) Wearing a helmet with a fake Philippine standard (PS) or Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker shall be tantamount to riding a moving motorcycle without wearing a helmet.

Failure to carry driver’s license, certificate of registration, or official receipt while driving a motor vehiclePhp1,000

Driving an unregistered vehiclePhp10,000 This includes driving with an improperly-registered motor vehicle or a motor vehicle with expired, revoked, suspended, or invalid registration, unregistered or fake substitute, or replacement engine, engine block, or chassis.

Unauthorized motor vehicle modificationPhp5,000 This includes change in color and other unauthorized modifications of the standard manufacturer’s specification.

Motor vehicle operation without or with defective/improper/unauthorized accessories, devices, equipment, and partsPhp5,000 This includes bells/horns/sirens/whistles, blinkers, brakes, early warning devices, grills, and the likes.

Smoke belchingAny vehicle suspected of violation of emission standards through visual signs such as, but not limited to, smoke belching shall be subjected to an emission test.

All other violations of traffic rules and regulations – Php1,000

There’s also a dedicated section for public vehicles like trucks, buses, jeepneys, and vans on the revised fines and penalties. To view the full list, simply go to DOTC’s website.

{Source} {Image source: philstar.com}

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