Press Release
March 19, 2018

SEN. GRACE POE'S SPONSORSHIP SPEECH ON COMMITTEE REPORT NOS. 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292 ON VARIOUS SENATE AND HOUSE BILLS SEEKING TO CONVERT LTO EXTENSION OFFICES INTO REGULAR DISTRICT OFFICES
delivered on March 19, 2018

Mr. President, as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, it is my honor to deliver my omnibus sponsorship speech on Committee Report Nos. 287, 288, 289, 290, 291 and 292.

These Committee Reports recommend the adoption without amendment of seven Senate and House bills which seek to convert various LTO extension offices into regular LTO district offices.

For brevity, I will only mention the bill numbers and briefly describe them:

1. Senate Bill No. 1645, taking into consideration House Bill No. 3169, which seeks to convert the LTO extension office in Batangas City into a regular district office;

2. Senate Bill No. 1651, taking into consideration House Bill No. 1875 seeking to convert the LTO extension office in Muntinlupa City into a regular district office;

3. House Bill No. 927 which seeks to convert the LTO extension in Kawit, Cavite into a regular district office;

4. House Bill No. 3188, which seeks to convert the LTO extension office in Caloocan City located in Malabon into a regular district office;

5. House Bill No. 3986, which seeks to convert the LTO extension office in Balayan, Batangas into a regular district office; and

6. House Bill No. 4166, which seeks to convert the LTO extension office in San Pablo, Laguna into a regular district office.

Mr. President, just barely a year ago, we enacted Republic Act No. 10930 which extended the validity of driver's licenses to five years and further renewable for a period of 10 years if the license holder has not committed any violation. When I sponsored that measure, I mentioned that motorists would benefit through shorter lines for license applications renewal.

However, our push to better serve the motoring public does not end there. We must ensure that the frontline offices of the LTO can actually implement the law that we passed. A law without a capable implementing agency is just a paper mandate.

Take for example the LTO extension office in Malabon City. It was established in 1978, when cars such as the Ford Cortina, Opel Manta, and Toyota Cressida plied the streets of Metro Manila. The office currently serves 20 barangays in Malabon City plus all drivers' license transactions from Navotas City, handling an average of 350 transactions every day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Despite this heavy workload, the Malabon City LTO office has only 16 personnel which are borrowed from other district offices. Job order personnel are designated to key positions that are supposed to be given to regular employees with greater responsibility. And the current head of the Malabon City LTO extension office has a Salary Grade of 18. The fiscal hawks of this chamber would know that this is just above the entry level for a legislative staff.

Mr. President, this is just one example of the issues which emerged when the committee tackled these extension offices. The transactions which they handle on a daily basis have clearly exceeded their internal capacity. Furthermore, legislative action is needed, as these extension offices were created merely through administrative orders. Thus they are inherently limited in terms of budget. Converting LTO extension offices into regular LTO district offices would, in effect, mean faster processing of transactions and hopefully, shorter queues.

However, let me state that legislative action is not a magic pill for all the problems of the LTO's bureaucracy. I will not hesitate to hold these offices accountable during the budget season if there are reports of inefficiency or corruption after this measure is enacted into law. These offices must not forget: with greater power comes greater accountability. Or in millennial speak, more werpa begets more responsibility.

Having said all of that, I thus seek the speedy approval of Committee Report Nos. 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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