GUIDE: How to claim your driver’s license after a violation in Clark, Pampanga

Locals and those who frequent the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga province know that the place has one of the strictest road laws in the country in terms of implementation, especially for stop signs like in the United States of America.

The harsh truth is many licensed drivers in the Philippines do not know or follow basic rules of the road and end up with their driver’s licenses confiscated after committing a violation within the boundaries of Clark.

So backstory, a close friend of mine was apprehended for an overspeeding violation. He was doing 70 kph in a 60 kph zone. Road users are given up to 65 kph before they are pulled-over and apprehended by officers. 

Anyway, as the act was done on a Saturday and residing in Laguna province, my friend did not have the luxury of time to wait for Monday in order to claim his license, so I accepted his favor to claim for him as I was staying in the area until Monday.

The exact steps to do in order to claim your confiscated driver’s license are as follows:

• Get an order of payment from the TMS Releasing of Driver’s License window. You will have to present your traffic citation ticket here.
• After getting your order of payment, proceed to the CDC Treasury Bldg. 2121 to pay for your violation.
• Finally, after that step, go back to the TMS Releasing of Driver’s License window to claim your driver’s license. 

Sounds straightforward right? Is it really?

First to note is that confiscated driver’s licenses can be claimed from Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, at Bldg. 2113 of the Clark Development Corporation’s (CDC) main office along C.P. Romulo St., the Public Safety Division – TMS Office to be exact. This is easy to find as there is a large open parking lot right in front with several CDC Patrol vehicles parked. 

I arrived at 7:57 AM, just in time for operations to start at 8:00 AM. Despite being a bit early, I was already accommodated but unfortunately, according to the staff who was in charge at step 1, I could only claim for violations that happened on weekends after 2:00 PM. This was not acceptable as not everyone has the time to wait that long and given that I had appointments scheduled later that day in Metro Manila, I could not wait any further.

Despite that hiccup, the staff was nice enough to still assist me so that I can go on with my day as planned which I really appreciate. At 9:00 AM, I was informed that my friend’s driver’s license was on the way to the office.

At 9:30 AM, I was informed that we could finally move on after the license had arrived. I was given a slip to present to the cashier at the CDC Treasury Office located at Bldg. 2121. This building is located right across the Clark Parade Grounds and is around 200 meters walk from the PSD-TMS Offices. You’ll have to cross some streets and parking lots but wayfinding signs are available and security guards are also scattered in case you need to ask for directions.

Upon arriving at the cashier, I was given a number by the guard on duty. I immediately sat to wait and less than 30 seconds later, my number flashed on the screen. After a few seconds, I got the receipt and walked back to Bldg. 2113 to claim my friend’s license. Upon arriving at 9:40 AM, it took just another few seconds to finally get my hands on his driver’s license. I was out at 9:41 PM.

It took a total of 1 hour and 44 minutes to complete the claiming process. The process was actually very straightforward and will be as long as your driver’s license is already in the hands of the staff inside the TMS releasing area. I must also say that the staff of the PSD-TMS office and security guards are very friendly and accommodating which more than made up for the hiccup I encountered early in the claiming process. 

As soon as I drove out, and upon entering the highway, I already caught sight upon traffic officers pointing a speed gun at me, ready to apprehend their next violator who luckily wasn’t me, fresh from claiming a confiscated driver’s license.