Photo from Land Transportation Office-Philippines Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines —The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Thursday announced that it would explore options to avert an increase in fees for renewing and applying for drivers’ licenses.
LTO officer-in-charge Romeo Vera Cruz made the remark as the rising prices of commodities, including fuel due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, increased the costs of living for Filipinos.
READ: Inflation for June 2022 hits three-year high of 6.1 percent — PSA
“Inano natin yung mga sinabi ni President Bongbong Marcos ‘no, na maghanap tayo ng paraan na maibsan ‘yun. ‘Yun bang to reduce, to mitigate itong problema po ito ng karamihan,” Vera Cruz said on TeleRadyo when asked if LTO fees would be increased.
(We are heeding what President Bongbong Marcos said, that we seek ways to relieve that. To reduce, to mitigate this problem of the majority.)
“We are studying that and we will report that to the secretary of DOTr (Department of Transportation) and then we will review the fees po para po matulungan ang mga kababayan natin (to help our fellow countrymen),” he added.
Last year, lawmakers urged the LTO to scrap comprehensive driver’s education (CDE), a requirement for license renewal, as it would entail additional expense to Filipinos.
READ: Solon to LTO: Scrap driver’s education requirement for license renewal
However, LTO stated that the CDE — including learning modules, a five-hour program of video and slide presentations, and the evaluation test — will not entail an added cost.
READ: LTO: No added cost for renewal of driver’s licenses
Medical requirements
Vera Cruz also said that driver-applicants, after taking their CDE, should proceed to an LTO-accredited medical clinic to undergo basic examination for a medical certificate.
He also clarified that drivers who will renew their license are not required to take blood typing as their current license already indicates their blood type. — Xander Dave Ceballos, INQUIRER.net intern