MANILA - The Land Transportation Office (LTO) announced it is set to issue driver's licenses with a five-year validity next week, but clarified it will be rolled out on a staggered basis.

The licenses with an extended validity will be issued by three LTO branches in Quezon City on October 10, while other LTO offices in Metro Manila will have these available by October 14, LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante said.

The new licenses will be issued by LTO branches outside of Metro Manila by year-end, he added.

Despite having an extended validity, the new licenses will still come in the form of paper receipts instead of plastic cards as the agency has yet to resolve the procurement issue that has hounded the agency since 2013.

The LTO's 600,000 backlog of driver's licenses stemmed from a 2013 order by the Commission on Audit that prevented LTO from transacting with its previous supplier, Amalgamated Motors Philippines, due to lack of a proper contract.

"Since the temporary restraining order has been lifted, we are now processing the procurement of the license cards," Galvante said.

Galvante admitted that they still have a few stocks of the plastic cards, but are reserving these for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) as most foreign governments and employers would not honor licenses printed on paper.

The LTO targets to issue plastic license cards again by the second quarter of 2017, along with the distribution of vehicle plates that have bar codes.

The LTO is hopeful that the processing of driver's licenses will be faster this time as "it will no longer undergo bidding" as the agency sought the help of the National Printing Office to handle the production of the new licenses and plates.