Dear Mr. Beltran,
We write in connection with your column, My Pandora’s Box’, published in the Philippine STAR last 6 March 2013.
For your information, as far back as April 2012, the Technical Working Group (TWG) of the Land Transportation Office requested for information from the public to provide available technical specification on motor vehicle license plates, including all available security features in the market. Out of 12 companies that responded to the request, three companies proposed the very screw the LTO-TWG evaluated to possess the specifications the LTO desired. This is to ensure the permanent attachment of the plates to the motor vehicle that would prevent plate theft and illegal plate transfers. Further, a simple market research will show that the screws LTO proposed are readily available and currently used on security critical projects such as automotive aerospace, defense prison cells and banks.
More importantly, in response to your claim that there were bidders who were unhappy about the technical specifications, you should know that a total of 28 companies participated in the first pre-bidding conference held last 28 February 2013. Out of 28, only two bidders raised issues on the technical specifications. Primarily, these issues pertain to request to further “expand†the standards set in the specifications, which the LTO-TWG has agreed to and was proposed to and approved by the DOTC-BAC. The remaining issues, however, involve proposals to adopt speculations carried by individual bidders, including their own unique screws. Obviously, the LTO cannot adopt specifications unique to a single bidder even if it makes one unhappy.
We trust that we have sufficiently explained our position on the matter and hope that you give us the same opportunity as your unhappy bidders in informing the public of these matters. — Atty. ALFONSO V. TAN Jr., Executive Director, Land Transportation Office