MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office assured the public Tuesday that all personal information provided to the agency in all transactions is protected and secured.
This, after an LTO District Office allegedly required clients applying for renewal of motor vehicle registration to provide the ID and password for their account in the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) company portal.
“The LTO will investigate this incident and will not hesitate to impose applicable sanctions if any employee is found to have violated Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012,” LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Teofilo Guadiz III said in a statement said to reporters.
“Although LTO employees can search and start a driver’s license or motor vehicle registration for the client through their LTMS Company Portal user accounts, the Agency and its employees do not access the personal accounts of clients when processing an application,” LTO Chief Guadiz continued.
To recall, one Claire David posted a photo on Facebook showing a part of what seemed to be a form issued by the LTO for motor vehicle registration for organizations. The form included blank spaces for account credentials in the LTMS.
"I need to understand the rationale before filling up this slip. Please explain to me why a government agency needs to know the password created by car owners to process vehicles registration renewal," David wrote in her now-viral post.
The user went on to claim that when she inquired with the district office, she was told: "That's really the required process, you're supposed to include your ID and password.”
Under the Data Privacy Act and even the Cybercrime Prevention Act, accessing an account or acquiring data with the intent of committing offenses is prohibited. However, requiring disclosure of those details is not necessarily illegal.
Guadiz said the LTMS company portal is used to provide companies the facility to start a vehicle application online and help reduce the transaction process down to a few minutes.
Under this process, company representatives can create their accounts to be able to register and apply under the firm’s name, the LTO chief explained.
Guadiz said the office will also issue a comprehensive set of guidelines on the use of client IDs and any information obtained during the application to ensure compliance with the Data Privacy Act.
Workstations will be made available in the LTO waiting rooms and technical assistance shall also be provided so that clients’ online transactions can proceed as smoothly and as conveniently as possible.