The days of having a driver’s license made in shady shops around Recto will soon be over. The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is now moving law enforcement to the digital age with a new mobile phone-based scanner.

Still currently in the prototype stage, this new handheld scanner will be able to read Driver’s Licenses, Motor Vehicle Licenses, and third-plate RFIDs stuck on a vehicle’s windshield. Connected to the LTO’s central database, this new scanner will be to check and verify the validity of a license or vehicle registration.


In a live demonstration, it can pull up records such as full name, address, plate number, vehicle make and model, and even outstanding violations.

In addition to being able to determine the validity of a license or vehicle registration / plate number, the handheld scanner will also be used by enforces to issue computerized violation tickets as well. This ensures that all violation tickets will be synchronized and recorded in the LTO’s central database. Motorists will still be issued a printed receipt of his or her violation and can still file the violation in protest.

Together with the longer validity of driver’s licenses as well as its expanded features, this looks to be a step in the right direction for the LTO. Perhaps one day, the country can move to a demerit system wherein they punish drivers for repeated infractions with suspension or revocation of their Driver’s License.