Tugade plans not to require appearance in renewing driver’s license

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. PHOTO FROM POE’S OFFICE

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade is planning to make life easier for motorists who have not committed any traffic violations by not requiring them to personally appear at the Land Transportations Office (LTO) when they renew their driver’s license.

Aside from extending the validity of the drivers’ licenses from the present three years to five years, Tugade said it was also his “dream” to make make the renewal of the licenses “technology-dictated” for law-abiding motorists.

“Dream ko din po na yung renewal sa five years, will be technology-dictated. Kung wala kang violation, kung wala kang citation at wala kang nagawang iligal na kung saan naka poste sa mga datos, yung renewal po e technology dictated. Wala ng physical presence se LTO or sa LTRFB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board),” he said during the hearing of the Senate committee on public services on Wednesday.

(It is my dream that the renewal in five years will be technology-dictated. If you have no violation, no citation and you have not committed any wrongdoing according to the recorded data, the renewal will be technology-dictated. )

While working on it, Tugade said they were trying a “kiosk-style” where applicants will interact with the machine.

“Yung kiosk-style where the service providers magtatayo ng kiosks sa LTO (would set up kiosks at LTO). Applicants will just follow the process, fill in the blanks, then they will just be interacting with the machine. You automatically address the problem of fixers,” he said.

Tugade also expressed hopes that by the end of the year, the extended validity of the driver’s license would be implemented nationwide.

An LTO official earlier announced that the extended validity of the license will start in October this year but only in the National Capital Region. RAM

READ: 5 years validity of driver’s license to start in October

RELATED VIDEOS