LTO to be stricter with regard to issuance, renewal of driver’s license

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will be stricter in issuing driver’s licenses to ensure the eligibility of the holder, its Licensing Section chief said on Sunday.

“Lalagyan pa po natin ng pangil ng kaunti ang pagkuha ng lisensiya para matakot sila, maiba ng landas,” LTO Licensing Section chief Richard Cortez said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV aired on GMA News TV.

“Hindi po ito pahirap. Ginawa po itong mas masusi. Sinisiguro nito na makakuha ang isang tao ng isang lisensya na naaayon sa kanyang kakayanan,” he added.

Cortez: Lalagyan pa po natin ng pangil ng kaunti ang pagkuha ng lisensya para matakot sila maiba ng landas. https://t.co/Jl7zdrja0g

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) February 29, 2020

According to Cortez, LTO prefers to revive the mandatory drug testing for applicants—a requirement scrapped in 2013—as proposed by some lawmakers.

Recently, jeepney driver Crisalde Tamparong, who tested positive for drug use, plowed through a group of students who were crossing a pedestrian lane in Makati City, killing Grade 8 student Jules Villapando.

In September 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to improve driver’s licensing requirements.

Cortez said they will also be meticulous in giving accreditation to driving schools as well as in reviewing and amending their modules. The ratio of the passing students will also be checked, Cortez added.

In February, LTO said aspiring drivers need to undergo 15 hours of training in an accredited driving school before securing a student's permit.

“Magkakaroon po ng bagong kategorya ng mga lisensiya nang naaayon sa sasakyan,” Cortez added. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News