The pandemic Covid-19 has caused a lot of systemic changes in our daily lives, chief of which is how we do business and interact with each other. The social distancing rule that needs to be observed during the new normal requires major shifts in customer and client services.
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is very aware of this situation and worked with their digital technology partner DERMALOG to develop an online portal system that automates public services such as driver’s license application and renewal, motor vehicle registration, penalties and online payment access.
Applying for all kinds of licenses or paying driver’s licenses fees online is now possible after LTO launched its new registration site portal.lto.gov.ph. The program went live last May 18 and can now service the needs of drivers and vehicle owners in the Philippines.
The portal provides fast and 24/7 access to the agency’s services via computer, tablet or smartphone. Those abroad can also register at the portal.
Especially in this time of COVID-19 and the resulting limitations on freedom of movement, the new system presents a significant benefit that is aligned to the digital intiatives of the government.
With online access for other LTO services shaping up, there will be a significant reduction in queues. The spread of the pandemic through crowded places like the LTO will be mitigated when citizens begin to avail of LTO online services.
The online services for driver’s license application and renewal is now available in Laoag, Bayombong, Roxas, Tagbuilaran, Dumaguete, Ormoc, Butuan, Pagadian, Malaybalay, Lipa, Calapan, Naga, Tagum, Davao City, General Santos, and Baguio, Angeles, San Fernando, Binan, Quezon City, and the LTO Central Office.
The new online portal of LTO is combined with the LTMS (Land Transport Management System). It includes an Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) from DERMALOG with face recognition and fingerprint identification to prevent false or double identities. The law enforcers will have an apprehending biometric device that will automate ticketing of traffic violations and payment of penalties. The student license examination under the LTMS has facial recognition that will ensure that the applicant and the examinee is one and the same person.
Furthermore, the new LTMS system allows an easy integration of verification services of other government agencies in the Philippines such as with the Bureau of Customs, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation etc.
LTO employees also benefit from the agency’s transformation. Requests can be processed with a few clicks, thanks to the new system. This saves time and high costs, thus making LTO service more efficient. The LTO staff is also learning to embrace the latest technology.
As a leading system integrator in the field of government digitization, DERMALOG has developed the portal and Land Transport Management System (LTMS) for LTO. To implement LTO’s extensive modernization, the joint venture of Dermalog as lead and technology provider, Microgenesis, Verzontal Construction, and Holy Family Printing has also built a complete state of the art data center in the head office with the capacity of more than 5 petabytes and can accommodate 1 million transactions per day.
The new portal makes LTO the most progressive agency in the Philippines and one of the most advanced government agencies worldwide when the full automation of all its public services are completed.