Filing and Handling of Complaints Before LTO in the Philippines

When President Duterte assumed power, he envisioned to eradicate if not alleviate corruption in the government. One of the programs by the government to fulfill this promise is by making a centralized hotline (8888) to entertain day-to-day complaints in government agencies.

LTO placed as the second agency to receive the most number of complaints. Among the most common complaints lodged by concerned citizens are fixers, systems always offline, and non-issuance of vehicle plates and driver’s license in the Philippines. 

Due to its fast means of letting the authority know the complaint, some people tend to forget that there are also different ways to file complaints, which are equally effective as the 8888-campaign of the present administration.

LTO placed as the second agency to receive the most number of complaints

Any concerned citizen may file a complaint on matters relating to driving before any LTO office in the country. Depending on the nature of the complaint and the remedy sought, requirements may vary. To date, there are four possible ways to bring your complaint before the LTO, now Philkotse.com will show you, one by one. 

1. Walk-in Complaint

In this mode of filing a complaint, the concerned citizen will approach LTO’s Public Assistance and Complaint Desk (PACD) to duly accomplish a complaint form. At this stage, the officer in-charge will either take his perceived necessary action or advise the complainant to go to the Head Office.

After the receipt of the written or verbal complaint, the designated personnel may then resolve the problem.

In most cases, a complainant will personally approach the LTO office's complaint desk to fill up a form

However, if the head officer finds that the complaint is not within his level of authority, the complaint will be endorsed to the Regional Office. The regional officer will resolve the problem, otherwise he will forward the complaint to the Central Office.

Upon taking the appropriate action, the office concerned will notify the client and furnish him a copy of the decision. The complainant then follows the instruction as given by the department. The total duration of this mode of filing a complaint is two and one-half (2 ½ ) working days.

2. Suggestion Box

The client needs to secure, fill-up and sign a Complaint/Feedback form which he may get from the suggestion box provided by the PACD. Within eight (8) hours, the designated officer of LTO will retrieve, classify, and summarize the complaints.

The officer in-charge will analyze and take appropriate action to resolve the complaint.

Suggestions Box provides chance for every citizen to forward their feedback regarding LTO's service

After resolving, the officer will notify the complainant through a letter addressed to the latter. If the officer cannot resolve the issue, he will endorse the complaint to the Regional Office.

The designated officer in the LTO Regional Office will take the appropriate action, otherwise he will endorse the complaint to the LTO Central Office. In all cases, the officer in-charge should notify the complainant through a letter.

The complainant then follows the instruction as given by the department. The total duration of this mode of filing a complaint is two and one-half (2 ½ ) working days.

>>> Find more updates about LTO's latest policies

3. Sending complaints through email/text

This mode of filing a complaint is very much like the 8888 campaign of the government. This is also called the LTO text hotline service. The concerned citizen lodges his complaint through an email or text message addressed to the LTO. The message should indicate a short but detailed explanation of the complaint, indicating key words.

For example, if the complainant would like to report a public vehicle with expired registration, the following keywords should be inserted: LTO COMPLAINT (insert the plate number of the alleged motor vehicle) expired registration, then send to 2600. Each text message costs Php 2.00 worth of load.

The PAC Committee or the designated officer will acknowledge the receipt of the text message or email. Upon verification of the identity or existence of the complainant, the officer will take the necessary action and inform the concerned individual of the action taken by the agency through an email or text message.

If personally filing a complaint is not convenient, you can always opt for email and text to forward your concern

However, if the officer thinks that the issue is not within his authority, he will endorse it to the LTO Regional Directors (RD) office or Assistant Regional Directors (ARD) office concerned.

Upon receipt of the summary of the complaint, the designated officer shall analyze and resolve the issue as soon as practicable. A letter will be sent to the complainant to inform him of the decision taken by the agency.

The complainant then follows the instruction as given by the department. The total duration of this mode of filing a complaint is two (2) working days. It should be noted that this mode of filing a complaint is available nationwide during weekdays and office hours.

Thus, all complaints/text messages sent beyond 5pm will no longer be entertained but the complainant will still be charged.

4. Lodging complaint before the Ombudsman or Contact Center ng Bayan (CCB)

This mode is probably the simplest as the applicant or complainant only needs to endorse his email or text message containing the issue complained of. The PAC Committee or designated LTO officer will acknowledge the receipt of the complaint.

After recording online, the officer will analyze the complaint and prepares and signs the endorsement.

A memo will be sent to the concerned personnel in the Regional Directors (RD) Office or Assistant Regional Directors (ARD) Office. After taking the appropriate action, the concerned officer will copy furnish the Ombudsman, CCB, and other concerned offices of the resolution.

The total duration of this mode of filing a complaint should not exceed five (5) working days, counted from the day the office received the information.

For those who may not be familiar, you can always file a complaint public authorities in the Office of the Ombudsman

In a nutshell, just like other government agencies, LTO receives various complaints every day. Hence, it continuously renovates itself to cater the growing needs of drivers and passengers. With the advent of RA 9485 or the Anti Red-Tape Act of 2007, the agency adopted these measures to respond to complaints efficiently and effectively.

However, one must remember that resolving day to day complaints relating to driving does not end when you lodge your complaint before the LTO. The complainant should also extend his hands to the agency by being receptive to suggestions and resolutions as advised by the department concerned.

>>> Visit Philkotse.com for daily updated car tips and advice