Private Donation of 4 Million Plastic Cards Shows The Land Transportation Office Is An Inutile Agency

The Land Transportation Office of the Philippines has long been known to be a wholly ineffective and inutile agency. From backlogs in issuing license plates to backlogs in issuing drivers licenses drivers have had their fill of failed promises from the LTO.  When will driver's licenses be issued? Soon, says the LTO. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/09/15/2296347/lto-may-resume-drivers-license-issuance-soon

With at least one million plastic cards set to be delivered to the Land Transportation Office by the end of September, the LTO said yesterday it may resume the issuance of driver’s licenses soon.

LTO chief Vigor Mendoza said the 20-day temporary restraining order (TRO) issued in August by a Quezon City court, which stopped the awarding of the contract for the production of driver’s license cards had lapsed.

Mendoza said the agency is slowly building up supply of the driver’s license cards to address the estimated 2.4-million backlog.

“Tuloy-tuloy na ang delivery. We hope to complete one million license cards by the end of the month. Siguro kapag nakaisang milyon na, we will start working on the backlog,” he said in a radio interview.

According to Mendoza, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court is still hearing the petition filed by a losing bidder, which questioned the P240-million deal for the supply of five million plastic cards.

One million cards at the end of September would still have left a massive backlog. With the LTO's procurement deal being scrutinized by the court millions of more cards would remain undelivered meaning no solution to the backlog. 

Until now. 

Enter the Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers. They have recently donated 4 million plastic cards to the LTO to finally clear out the backlog. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1876825/donor-to-give-lto-4-million-plastic-cards-for-drivers-license-in-january

300,000 blank plastic cards on which driver’s licenses will be printed are set to be delivered by a donor organization to Land Transportation Office (LTO) on the first week of January 2024.

The agency said after this turnover, subsequent deliveries of 300,000 more pieces will be done every 15 days.

These movements will go on until a total of four million cards are brought to LTO.

The plastic cards are worth a total of P160 million.

LTO said the items are an “unconditional donation” for drivers from Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers (PSMED).

PSMED is an association of medical clinics accredited by the agency.

“This donation is timely as it came at a time when we in the LTO are facing a serious challenge of addressing the backlog and daily usage of plastic-printed driver’s license amid the uncertainty on the outcome of the legal battle on the plastic cards that the LTO procured early this year,” LTO Chief Vigor Mendoza II said.

There are many questions here such as: from where did they procure these cards at a much lower price than the LTO? 

It is a question of price and due process that is holding up the procurement of cards in the courts. The lowest bidder says he was wrongly denied the deal which was given to a higher bidder. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1818138/qc-court-issues-tro-to-stop-lto-in-delivery-processing-drivers-license-cards

A temporary restraining order (TRO) has set back the Land Transportation Office’s (LTO) delivery and processing of plastic license cards meant to address the current backlog of 1.7 million cards.

In an order dated August 15, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court branch 215 issued a TRO against the LTO, effectively suspending its delivery of plastic license cards for 20 days.

The court’s order reflected a petition filed by AllCard Inc., a losing bidder for the supply of plastic cards, after it accused the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Centralized Bids and Awards Committee of committing grave abuse of discretion.

AllCard argued that it was disqualified even when it presented the lowest bid of P176,853,600, which was significantly lower than the P240.12 million budget approved for the plastic licenses.

The card supplier also pointed out that the LTO wrongfully accused it of having had delays in its ongoing projects with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Social Security System and the Land Bank of the Philippines without even giving the company a chance to verify it.

Furthermore, the firm also alleged that the LTO immediately awarded the deal to Banner Plasticard Inc., without even waiting for the reglementary period to file a protest to finish.

This, AllCard said, caused it “irreparable injury in terms of massive financial injury due to opportunity loss and injury to [its] reputation.”

The court then granted AllCard its petition, affirming how it was deprived of its right to due process.

“This case unfortunately reeks with unfairness or injustice to the petitioner who was clearly deprived of its right to due process, and deserving judicial intervention,” the order read.

Let's do the math here. AllCard's deal works out to 35 pesos per card while the winner, Banner Palsticard Inc., comes to 48 pesos per card. Amazingly the Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers was able to procure 4 million cards at 40 pesos per card. 

How was the Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers able to get a significantly cheaper deal than the LTO?  None of the articles discussing this story say. Why is Banner Palsticard Inc. printing cards for 13 pesos more than AllCard and 8 pesos more than the corporation from whom  the Philippine Society of Medicine for Drivers procured cards? Again no article offers an explanation or even mentions that price disparity.  

What we can take away from this ridiculous debacle is that the LTO is a corrupt and inept bureaucracy. They awarded the winning bid for plastic cards not to the lowest bidder as required by law, nor did they wait to hear the appeal from the losing bidder before finalizing the deal, and now a private organization has had to step in to correct everything. Maybe it's time to abolish the entire government and hand it over to the private sector.

Overloaded Trucks Are a National Problem

Recently I have written about collapsing bridges, dangerous spaghetti wires, and electric poles being left in the middle of newly widened roads. All of these stories have a connecting thread and it is neglect. Neglect of the law and of public safety. In particular collapsing bridges are directly related to overloaded trucks.

In Davao road deterioration has been directly linked to overloaded trucks. 

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1946392/davao/local-news/road-deterioration-due-to-heavy-trucks---dpwh-davao

AN official of the Department of Public Works and Highways Davao Region (DPWH-Davao) said one of the contributing factors to why roads in the Davao Region are deteriorating is due to overloaded trucks.

DPWH Spokesperson Dean Ortiz said during the 18th Regular Session on November 15, 2022 that the roads in the region are built to accommodate vehicles that weigh as much as 10 tons. However, 20-ton trucks are now plying the roads of the region. The roads in the region are not intended to accommodate trucks of this size.

“We can monitor the trucks coming in Davao City, but... we can only do so much,” Ortiz said.

He said they can only monitor the weight of the big trucks traveling along J.P. Laurel in Panabo, Davao del Norte, and in Digos, Davao del Sur. The agency has built weighbridge stations, located around 10 kilometers away from populated areas, to monitor the weight of the trucks.

To closely monitor the trucks, Davao City Councilor Bernie Al-ag proposed the monitoring and regulation of the weights of big trucks traveling in and out of the city.

“I think what we need to do about this, number one, in regulating the weights of the truck, if we have an existing policy about this we need to review this, Let’s take a look into this if it is still appropriate,” Al-ag said.

Also, he said DPWH should also check with their planning department, especially the quality of the asphalt that is being used for the road construction so that the budget will not be wasted.

“It would be a wase that after asphalting the roads, it will deteriorate and be the cause of accidents. Instead of improving the livability in the city, it has caused a problem,” Al-ag said.

However, Ortiz said if the road deteriorates, the cost of the repair will be charged to the contractor of the project due to a structural warranty of five years.

“If there are portions that needed to be repaired, those are totally at no cost to the government, it is under the contractor,” Ortiz said.

While the repair will not cost the government, Al-ag still requested their office to follow the standards of the construction, especially the contractor. He said Dabawenyos deserve quality infrastructure.

“It is not right that after a year or two it will be reconstructed again. This is not efficient, we demand efficiency,” Al-ag said.

He said there should be a permanent solution or long-term solution to deteriorating roads.

The permanent or long-term solution is to not have heavy trucks driving through the city and to make sure all trucks are not overloaded. We can see from the picture that apparently heavy trucks are being routed through the city. That is no good. Roads by passing the city should be constructed. It is not my place to say how but surely they can learn how by studying city-planning in the USA and Europe.

Worst case scenario build roads that can withstand 20 ton trucks since no one wants to check the weight. 

The same problem is happening in Nueva Ecija.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1189290

The provincial government here is strengthening its efforts against overloading trucks to ensure the safety of motorists.

Vice Governor Anthony Umali said on Wednesday the provincial board council is set to pass an ordinance that will formulate the weight limits, stricter sanctions and possible alternative roads for overloaded trucks.

Umali said this is in support of the Nueva Ecija Task Force Overloading formed by Governor Aurelio Umali.

The vice governor said the provincial board members have agreed to refer the matter to the Committee on Housing Land Utilization and Environmental Protection and Committee on Laws to fast-track the creation of the anti-overloading measure.

“The move will ensure that the trucks carrying overloaded items will be policed by their own ranks to save roads from damage and deterioration,” he said in a local television interview.

Homer Garcia, chief of the maintenance section of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Nueva Ecija First District Engineering Office, said based on their monitoring from Oct. 21-Nov. 14, out of the 3,584 dump trucks that passed by the Sta. Rosa-Tarlac Road, 1,443 were overloaded.

It has been observed that overloaded trucks cause damage to road networks.

Garcia said funds will be allotted next year for the procurement of a weighing apparatus to be put up in the province’s entry points for continuous checkpoints against overloaded trucks.

The DPWH has been coordinating with the Land Transportation Office, Highway Patrol Group and local government units to strengthen the monitoring of immoderate vehicles through the strict enforcement of the anti-overloading policy.

Incredible!  This town has such a problem with overloaded trucks that they have formed a task force. Not to mention 40% of all dump trucks are overloaded. That is outrageous. Are they allowed to continue plying the roads? Interesting to note is that the DPWH has been contacting LGUS, the LTO, and the HPG to monitor overloaded trucks. That highlights the fact that overloaded trucks are a national problem. 

Back in June, 2022 the DWPH said they would intensify the enforcement of the overloading law. 

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1931623/pampanga/local-news/intensified-implementation-of-anti-overloading-law-set

THE stretch of MacArthur Highway in Pampanga is usually subject of ire and complaints of motorists due to the deteriorated state of some of its portions.

The travel from the City of San Fernando up to Apalit town via MacArthur Highway is a source of headache to motorists as they have to endure large potholes and craters, and uneven road pavement along the way.

What irks road users more is the fast deterioration of the several specific road sections as it usually goes back to its sad state just a few months after its rehabilitation.

This prompted Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Roger G. Mercado to renew the call for intensified implementation of Anti-Overloading law.

Being a national road, DPWH is responsible for the maintenance, upgrading and widening of the whole stretch of MacArthur Highway.

According to Mercado, overloaded vehicles result to premature deterioration of roads and bridges, causing vehicular accidents, and endangering commuters and pedestrians.

Citing a report from the DPWH Bureau of Quality and Safety, Mercado disclosed that around 34 percent of the trucks plying the country’s national roads in 2021 alone were classified as overloaded.

This means that the Nationwide Cases of Truck Overloading jumped by 6.96 percent in 2021, comparing from the data recorded in 2020.

“Of the 401,785 trucks that were weighed by our 38 truck weighing stations in 2021, a total of 137,029 or 34.11 percent were apprehended for overloading. This is alarming, considering that the cases have worsened from 2020 which is only at 27.15 percent,” he said.

To prevent further damage, Mercado ordered all DPWH Regional and District Engineering Offices to intensify the implementation of the RA 8794 otherwise known as the Anti-overloading law immediately.

He said DPWH personnel from different engineering offices across the country, in coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP), and Land Transportation Office (LTO), will jointly apprehend violators of overloading nationwide by setting up permanent and mobile weighing stations along national roads.

“Aside from danger and inconvenience that deteriorated roads cause, it also redounds to more government spending on road maintenance,” he said.

The DPWH secretary asked for the cooperation of truckers and haulers, and advised them to comply with the law to prevent inconveniences during their travel.

It should not take complaints from motorists for the DWPH to enforce laws. Given the state of the government where everyone takes a kickback I don't expect this problem to go away anytime soon if ever. Bridges will continue to collapse and roads will continue to deteriorate because in the Philippines the ends justifies the means. If you can overload your truck and get it delivered it on time saving money, well that is all that matters. 

RA 8794 has been on the books since 2020!

https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2000/ra_8794_2000.html

Section 6. Penalty for Overloading- An amount equivalent to twenty five percent (25%) of the MVUC shall be imposed on trucks and trailers for loading beyond their prescribed gross vehicle weight: provided, That no axle load shall exceed thirteen thousand five hundred kilograms(13,5000kgs).

What!?  This is ONLY a monetary fine!!  In fact that is what this law is all about, charging motorists various fines. You know what that means?  It means there is no SPECIFIC law regarding overloaded trucks. Overloaded trucks destroy roads and lead to the collapse of bridges but who cares? Why bother to write a specific addressing that issue!? 

Philippine City Wants Drivers To Spy On Everyone

General Santos City is considering a strange proposal requiring all drivers to install dash cams in order to spy on everyone. This is all in the name of safety and security.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1130254

The city council here is planning to tap motorists as “roving eyes” on the streets to enhance public safety and security.

City Councilor Vivencio Dinopol said Wednesday they are studying a measure that will require the installation of dashboard cameras or “dashcams” in private and public utility vehicles.

He said the move is aimed to ensure the proper recording, through mobile digital video devices, of road crashes and related incidents as well as criminal activities, especially the shootings by motorcycle-riding suspects.

The presence of the dashcams could deter the occurrence of various traffic violations and help counter the movement of criminal elements, he said.

Dinopol said many crimes remained unsolved due to the lack of witnesses and available video footages.

“We have existing security and road traffic safety measures but these are clearly not enough. We need to take advantage of the available technologies to ensure the safety of the general public while on our streets,” he told reporters.

He said they will hold a series of consultations, through the committees on transportation and public safety, to get the pulse and recommendations from the public regarding the measure, which will set through an ordinance.

He acknowledged that it could be difficult for some motor vehicle owners to comply due to the financial requirement and with the local transport sector still reeling from the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

But he said they are considering possible arrangements that would allow the local government to assist the affected motorists.

“During the committee hearing, the LGU (local government unit) could commit some amount to assist the vehicle owners in buying dashcams, maybe through loans or any other scheme,” he said.

This is unbelievably Orwellian. What these people want is to transform everyone with a car into a snitch. Not just a snitch but eyes for the state! They will in effect be setting up a panopticon. How dare these LGUs be called dads! They are elected officials who govern at the consent of the governed. They are by no means "dads" or fathers. They are servants of the people. How would this law be serving the people? It wouldn't!

All of this is totally ridiculous and redundant as well. Just last year General Santos City was preparing to roll out a P451 million traffic, CCTV system.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1120706

The city government is gearing up for the full implementation of its PHP451-million synchronized traffic signalization and city-wide closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera system project.

Engr. Emerald Signar, head of the City Engineer’s Office in a radio interview on Wednesday said the special bids and awards committee (BAC) commissioned for the project has already started the series of pre-procurement conference as part of the preparatory processes.

He said the pre-procurement conference is the venue for the BAC to scrutinize the requirements and other necessary attachments in the project proposals of the prospective suppliers or contractors.

These are based on the approved terms of reference (TOR) and performance specification of the project, he said.

City Mayor Ronnel Rivera originally approved the project in 2018 but Signar said its implementation was delayed due to the crafting of the TOR and performance specification.

Signar said it will be a design-build process, with the winning supplier designing the system based on the TOR, which set an implementation period of 18 months.

He said the traffic signalization will cover at least 26 major intersections that were identified in a study conducted by the city’s traffic engineering unit as critical sections due to heavy vehicular traffic.

The official said the winning supplier is mandated to upgrade the existing 11 traffic light systems in the city and synchronize them with the new units.

Under the project, he said over 200 CCTV cameras will also be installed in different locations in the city that will be connected by a fiber optic cabling system.

Signar said the local government opted to implement the project in full instead of phased basis to ensure the proper integration and synchronization of the systems.

He said other local government units that rolled out the project on phased basis faced problems with the fast-changing technologies and differences in the systems adopted by the winning suppliers.

“We want it implemented in full to ensure that it is synchronized and totally integrated. That’s the mayor’s marching order,” he said.

When completed, Signar said the project is expected to enhance traffic and law enforcement operations in the city since the CCTV cameras will have face recognition, face tamper recognition, color recognition and other features.

He said the CCTVs, based on the approved specification, will be able to see through tinted motor vehicles.

These will be useful in the identification of traffic violators through the “no contact” enforcement policy and on alerting the possible movements of criminal elements, he said.

He added that the CCTV cameras may also be used for the monitoring of disaster incidents and facilitate faster response by the local government.

That article is from November 2020 so it can't be that COVID has put things on hold. There is no mention of COVID in this article. Look at the features of this system: facial recognition, can see through tinted windows, and many other things. Can a dash cam do that?  NO!!

It should be noted this system is not in effect. They are still going through the bidding process apparently. They want it to be implemented all at once to prevent any snafus. The budget has been in place since 2018 but now 3 years later...nothing. Solution? Get everyone to have dash cams to cover their butts! 

Let's say it becomes law. Then what? Everyone has a dash cam and then what? What happens to the footage? Will people be required to upload it to a central database? How would that even be enforced!? Who would analyze all the video footage from thousands of vehicles? It's a preposterous idea.

What about the local PNP? Don't they have body cams which would record much of the same footage?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1386454/house-probe-sought-on-delayed-police-body-camera-project

“More than two years since the budget for the body cameras for police was approved, the PNP has yet to complete the procurement and distribution of the devices meant to increase police accountability and transparency,” the lawmakers said in the resolution.

For all their talk the PNP has yet to procure body cameras. Yet General Santos City wants to pass a law making it mandatory for all drivers to have dash cams! It is a totally ridiculous and totalitarian proposal. It will probably pass into law.

Stuck In The Mud

This driver got stuck in the mud! 

I was told the driver was drunk and did not realize he was not going the right way.  Here you can see his tracks which lead back to the bar where he was drinking.

I was also told the driver got out, locked the vehicle, and stumbled away home. Aren't SUVs supposed to be able to get out of situations like this?

Immediate Off Street Parking is One Reason Traffic is So Bad in the Philippines

Traffic isn't awful in the Philippines solely because people drive with no regard for safety or laws. Traffic is also bad because of lack of planning on the part of the DPWH who when building the roads decides to pave right around electrical poles and the engineers and architects who construct buildings which have immediate off street parking rather than a separate parking lot away from the street. I am talking about this:

That is a brand new building constructed at a very busy intersection. The architects who designed this building took no consideration of the heavy traffic in the area and decided parking right off the street was a good idea. Anyone who parks here is going to have to back into a traffic jam and will hold up traffic themselves. The risk for accidents in this kind of set-up is very high. That is why there are so many men you have to pay P5 for backing you up.

Some of those who back up cars are even children who should be in school.

Imagine an entire black market economy of these workers who back up cars because of bad planning. They might not make much but at least they don't have to pay taxes on it. Many cars that park in these kind of spaces end up obstructing traffic because part of the vehicle juts into the road.

Those are not cherry-picked pictures. That is a standard day in the Philippines. Cars, trucks, vans, and other vehicles with their tail ends hanging into the street causing obstructions. But you know what? That's actually not their fault because the most of these spots are not large enough for a car or truck to fit!

Does not fit!

I notice there is also a penchant for backing into a parking spot rather then pulling right in headfirst. This happens even in safe off street parking spots like at Jolibee. Sometimes drivers decide to back into immediate off street parking spots which also causes a bit of a traffic jam. Then you have these thoughtless idiots:

In the Philippines any space automatically becomes a parking space as long as you turn on the emergency flashers. Who cares if you are blocking parked cars or impeding the flow of traffic? Tricycles also block parking spots. Just look at all these tricycle lined up in a row blocking the parking spaces. Cars cannot get in or out without a big commotion.

Do you want to see just how stupid and dangerous immediate off street parking is in action? Watch as this SUV backs across three lanes of traffic.

Pretty stupid and needlessly dangerous. Now let's compare a supermarket parking lot in the Philippines with one in the USA.

Robinson's Supermarket parking lot

Kroger parking lot

See the difference? To be fair the Robinson's Supermarket does have an underground garage. That is a good thing. They should have left the parking entirely in the garage and forgone the immediate off street parking which is simply stupid and dangerous. 

New Road Built Entirely Around Electric Poles

Just outside of Pototan, Iloilo there is a lot of ongoing road construction. Perhaps it is due to flooding but for some reason the new road being built is much higher than the old one.

For the moment businesses and houses on the side of the road which has been built have no access exiting or entering their properties. 

Not far from this construction site is a section of road that has been recently widened. A second lane has been added thus giving more room for traffic. The thing is though this road was built entirely around already existing electric poles!

Here are a few frames from a video I took of this amazing sight.

Who is the genius engineer which planned and designed this road? What a waste of resources, work, man hours, money!  This section of newly widened road is absolutely useless. No vehicles can use it lest they crash into a electric pole. I am completely baffled as to the stupidity that went into designing, planning, and constructing this road right around these electrical poles. Did they not take the poles into account? The DPWH should be held accountable for this major mess up.

The video speaks for itself and is below. Enjoy!

Picture of the Week: Hang in There

For many Filipinos work and home are synonymous. None more so than construction workers who generally live onsite for the duration of the project which could be several months. For others it could be just a weekend away from home.

It seems these guys are returning back to the shop after a weekend of working the sound system at a fiesta. A close look near their heads reveals a rice cooker and the top of the ever ubiquitous 5 gallon water jug. Perhaps there are also blankets rolled up and tossed onto the speakers and cases. Likely they slept in the truck in shifts with one keeping a watchful eye on the equipment. In the Philippines the party does go all night long.

But why are they riding like this? Why has the equipment been arranged in such a manner that these men cannot comfortably sit down? For that mater why don't they ride home on a motorcycle? Surely one of the men hanging on the back or sitting in the cab have a motorcycle? Why not make arrangements to transport everyone safely if the cab is full? Why drive with the doors open and have two men hanging on the back for dear life risking both the equipment and the men? One quick swerve and all those expensive speakers and soundboards will fall out into the road making quite a mess. Why? Why? Why? Why!?

Well you know what Alfred Lord Tennyson says:

Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/charge-light-brigade 

To God Be the Glory

There are a number of ways to interpret the phenomena documented in the pictures below. The phrase "To God be the Glory" or a variation thereof is to be found in many places in the Philippines: on buildings, on vehicles, etc. It could be that in lieu of a tiny bumper sticker the owners of the trucks opted to paint in large lettering their praises to God as a testament to their great faith. It could be that whoever decorated the vehicles with these slogans sees them as a kind of protective talisman. 

The difference between having the phrase "To God be the Glory" on the front of the truck rather than on the back is significant. Locating the phrase on the front signifies that it is God who is doing the leading for his glory as he omnisciently directs the driver safely down the highway. To have the phrasing on the rear, as many people do with bumper stickers, indicates that the driver and not God is in control. Indeed the final picture in this series lends itself readily to that interpretation.

Or maybe they just think it looks good!