LTO: Mandatory education requirement for driver's license renewal is free

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has ensured that the mandatory Comprehensive Driver’s Education Program (CDEP) when renewing driver’s license is free of charge and fully accessible.

In a statement, LTO chief Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante said that the CDEP requirement would not cause any “undue delay” and “hardship” to renewing driver’s license holders, as “this is free and readily available  through multiple channels.”

Galvante made the clarification after Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez called on the Department of Transportation (DOTr), particularly the LTO, to remove the CDEP requirement when renewing driver’s license, saying it was only an additional financial burden for Filipinos amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In filing House Resolution No. 2325, the Cagayan de Oro City lawmaker pointed out that the requirement was unnecessary and had no legal basis.

"There is no provision in the law which explicitly states that a certification for a CDE is required for renewing a driver’s license," Rodriguez said.

Galvante, however, cited the Republic Act 10930 which amended the Land Transportation and Traffic Code as the basis for the mandatory CDEP and exam for all applicants.

The House leader, for his part, also filed House Bill 10430, which aims to repeal certain provisions of Republic Act 10930, which the LTO has been invoking as the legal basis for the CDE requirement.

Section 3 of RA 10930, which amended RA 4136, states: "Sec. 23-A Establishment of Stricter Rules Before the Issuance of Driver's License. - The LTO shall promulgate prerequisites and guidelines before the grant of drivers' licenses to ensure that these are issued only to deserving applicants with sufficient driving skills and knowledge on road safety and proper road courtesy."

"Toward this end, the conduct of theoretical and practical examinations, among others, must sufficiently measure the competency of drivers and must be designed to the type of license applied for its corresponding restrictions: Provided, That for professional drivers, the tests must be appropriated to the vehicle and type of service the applicant intends to operate."

“We intend to disseminate the CDEP to all, and enforce the traffic violations system. So we can raise the quality of Filipino drivers and improve road safety,” Galvante said.

The LTO chief said the agency has set up a library of videos, slide presentations, and e-books at the e-learning portal of its LTO Land Transportation Management System (LTMS), which can be accessed at portal@lto.gov.ph.

This includes the CDEP materials, comprising several videos and slide presentations, and the CDEP validation exam, Galvante said.

To give driver’s license holders more time to comply with the CDEP training and exam, the LTO has extended the driver’s license validity by two months.

Meanwhile, the LTO, last week, began offering the 10-year driver’s license for qualified drivers at its QC Central Office, along with the required CDEP and exam for all applicants.

This week, the agency said the 10-year driver’s license and CDEP will be offered in LTO’s NCR offices, and subsequently, rolled out nationwide.

The LTO also introduced a violations monitoring system to encourage all drivers to follow traffic laws.

“Thus, only driver’s license holders without violations are entitled to the 10-year driver’s license, which is offered at the same price as the five-year driver’s license. Driver’s license holders with violations on record will be limited to a five-year driver’s license renewal, with those having multiple violations required to take additional CDEP reviewers,” the agency said. —KG, GMA News