BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Land Transportation Office (LTO-CAR) reminded owners of the various accredited driving schools in the different parts of the region to strictly implement the prescribed modules for the theoretical and practical driving courses to ensure that the present batch of Filipino drivers will be law-abiding.
LTO-CAR regional director Francis Ray Almora stated that the call for the compliance of the driving schools to the prescribed theoretical and practical driving course modules is directly connected to the enforcement of the revised regulations governing the issuance of student permits and licenses to individuals interested to be issued a driver’s license.
Under the present rules in the issuance of driver’s license crafted by the LTO, individuals applying for student permit shall first undergo the required 15-hour theoretical training in an accredited driver’s education center followed by the practical driving course depending on the type of vehicle that will be driven by the interested applicant.
After undergoing the aforesaid activities, the applicant will undergo the theoretical exam and a practical exam administered by the LTO with the use of the desired type of vehicle before the issuance of the new license depending on the type of vehicle that will be driven.
At present, there are 14 accredited driving schools in the region, five in Benguet, four in Baguio City, three in Ifugao, and one in Abra and Kalinga.
Director Almora claimed that there is an applicant for the put up of a driving school in Apayao while there are no applicants yet in Mountain Province.
However, he disclosed that one driving school in Baguio City had been suspended by the agency for violations in the implementation of its functions to conduct theoretical and practical driving lessons to interested applicants for the issuance of driver’s license.
The LTO-CAR official pointed out that the primary purpose of implementing the reforms in the issuance of student permit and driver’s license is to ensure road safety and prevent the accidents.
According to him, individuals possessing student permit or driver’s licenses must be fully aware of their utmost responsibility to uphold road safety thus they are required to undergo the required 15-hour theoretical learning and the practical driving course to be taught to adhere to the prevailing implementation of regulations governing road safety in the country.
Almora warned accredited drivers’ education centers in the region that the LTO-CAR will not hesitate to impose on them the penalties for violations to existing rules and regulations governing their operation for them to produce drivers who know and understand the importance of prioritizing road safety.
He expressed hope there will be a significant improvement in the quality of drivers that will be issued permits and licenses after they have undergone the required theoretical and practical driving modules. By HENT
