FILE PHOTO: Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Photo from Rufus B. Rodriguez Facebook page)
MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker is urging the Department and Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to scrap the driver’s education requirement for those applying for license renewal, saying it could be “another source of red tape and harassment.”
Under House Resolution No. 2325 filed by Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said that the requirement is “unnecessary” and would only entail additional expense to Filipinos.
According to Rodriguez, there is no provision in Republic Act No. 10930, which was the LTO’s basis of the requirement, which explicitly states that a certification of completion of the comprehensive driver’s education (CDE) is needed to renew a driver’s license.
“The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that the spring cannot rise higher than its source and implementing rules must conform to the language of the law,” Rodriguez said in the bill.
“This will be an additional expense for the Filipino people, which is an added burden especially during a pandemic,” he added.
The CDE materials can be obtained either from the LTO Portal’s website, at LTO offices or at LTO-Accredited Driving Schools.
“While it is reported that this requirement is free if it is done through the LTO portal, it is also reported that if through driving schools, it would cost around P1,000 to P3,000,” Rodriguez said.
“There is a need to look into this as the LTO needs to explain this unnecessary burden to the driving public. The LTO needs to properly explain their basis for imposing said requirement, and they need to prove that the correct legal processes were complied with in all steps of the preparation process,” he added.
Rodriguez likewise filed House Bill No. 10430 repealing relevant sections of R.A. 10930, which was the LTO’s basis of the requirement, to avoid confusion.
RELATED STORY:
Drivers now required to take driver’s education upon license renewal – LTO