We've all gotten used to it: We go to a gated private community and the guard asks for your license in exchange for a gate pass. But the law actually prohibits security guards from doing that. In an interview with lawyer Noel Del Prado over at DZMM, he stresses that only LTO officials are allowed to take your driver's license. Section 19 of Republic Act 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, specifically mentions this point. In fact, even the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) prohibits security from taking driver's license from you. Under Section 12 of Resolution 001 series of 2017 of HLURB, it states "[It shall be prohibited] to require the driver of any vehicle entering the subdivision or condominium to surrender his/her driver's license. The association is not authorized under the traffic laws to take custody, even on a temporary basis, the license issued by the Land Transportation Office." Here's the interview:
Del Prado adds that government-issued identification is not necessary to enter a subdivision and that any ID should do. Guards and homeowner officials who insist on taking your driver's license will be fined anywhere from P5,000 to P50,000.