LTO to unveil digital driver’s license amid shortage of plastic cards

New license cards for motor vehicles (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Monday announced that it is set to launch a digital version of the driver's license to replace its interim system in which the permit is printed on the back of an Official Receipt.

The LTO said the digital driver's license would be integrated into their "SuperApp," which is currently being developed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for the agency.

LTO chief Jose Arturo Tugade assured motorists that a digital driver's license would be as secure as the physical version because the existing security features of the physical driver's license will be integrated into the digital version in addition to the security features of the Super App.

READ: Paper-based licenses to save LTO's day in the face of card shortages

"The advantage of the digital license is that motorists can present it to law enforcement officers during apprehension. It is equivalent to presenting the physical driver's license," Tugade explained in a statement.

"We also appreciate the way the Super App functions similarly to a wallet, containing all government IDs, among other things, within your mobile device," he added.

READ: Shortage in driver's licenses blamed on poor foresight

According to Tugade, a digital driver's license may come in handy for motorists who can use it for various transactions with the LTO, including renewal of permits and registration and online payments.

The LTO recently resorted to printing the driver's license on the back of an Official Receipt as it reported a dwindling supply of plastic cards due to procurement issues.

READ: Plastic card shortage to hit 5.2 million motorists

In March, the LTO and DICT entered into an e-governance partnership to enhance the digitalization of systems and processes within the LTO.

The digital driver's license, Tugade stressed, is in line with the LTO's efforts to digitize its services.

"Simplifying and [digitizing] more services will ultimately aid the agency in eradicating corruption," he noted.

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