A LAWMAKER called for the suspension of the Land Transportation Office's (LTO) directive that require student driver permit applicants and those renewing their driver's license to undergo a mandatory driving course for eight to 15 hours.
In his House Resolution 1045, Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez called for the suspension of the LTO Memorandum Circular 2019-2176 or the "Rules and Regulations on Accreditation, Supervision and Control of Driving Institutions, and on Standardization of Driver Education," which will take effect on August 3.
Under the LTO memorandum, student driver permit applicants will have to go through a "theoretical" 15-hour driving course, while all others renewing their driver's licenses are required to undergo an eight-hour driving enhancement program.
The LTO said the driving course is akin to a seminar that the applicant will have to undergo to learn about traffic laws and driving in general, among others.
Based on the memorandum, individuals who complete the 15-hour theoretical driving course will receive certificates of driving course completion, which will be automatically transmitted to the LTO by driving course centers.
The 15-hour theoretical driving course will be divided into three sessions, which will include Introduction to Driving and Traffic Rules and the Land Transportation Related Special Laws where 13 traffic laws will be discussed.
Rodriguez said the directive from the LTO "basically provides for the accreditation of driving institutions, making them centers of profit at the expense of our people."
"It would seem that there are many problems that would result from the implementation of the memorandum circular and it will only be an additional financial burden to and time consuming for the Filipino people," he said.
"The requirement for a student permit applicant will cost about P3,000 to P5,000 for a theoretical and actual driving course from a private driving school. These amounts will also be spent by all of us drivers when renewing our driver's license by requiring us to undergo driving enhancement program even if we have no violations on our records," he added. (Jove Moya/With reports from SunStar Cebu/SunStar Philippines)