BAGUIO CITY – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) warned erring drivers in the country that their issued licenses will not be renewed once they will reach the threshold of demerits while driving motor vehicles, thus, the need for them to observe utmost discipline in the course of their driving.
LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar C. Galvante said that from the previous one year validity of the driver’s license, the period was increased to 3 years and now up to 10 years depending on the status of the driver’s license that was issued to the concerned driver.
He claimed that the last batch of 3-year licenses issued by the agency to drivers around the country will expire in 2021 but the LTO cannot issue licenses which have a 10-year validity period because of the need to hurdle the 5-year validity period prescribed under existing laws, rules and regulations.
“Our new license cards are tamper free because it has some thirty two especial features, twenty features in its front and 10 features in its back. A number of people tried to replicate our new license cards but it was easily detected because of the enshrined security features,” Assistant secretary Galvante stressed.
The LTO official pointed out that it will not be as easy for any individual to be issued a driver’s license with a 10-year validity period because he or she has the hurdle the 5-year validity period without exceeding the demerits that will be prescribed under the implementing rules and regulations of the new transportation law.
According to him, LTO district offices had made appropriate coordinations with its parte agencies, local governments and private toll way corporations, to upload in the LTO information technology system a record of their apprehensions considering that violations committed on local ordinances and traffic regulations will still be considered as violations that will be recorded on the license of a certain driver with such records.
Assistant Secretary Galvante claimed that what is important for drivers is to strictly follow traffic rules and regulations when driving their motor vehicles to prevent them from being apprehended by deputized authorities with their driver’s license being given demerits that would eventually affect its renewal or could result to its eventual suspension once it will exceed the prescribed demerits.
He assured drivers and motor vehicle owners that the LTO continues to look for ways and means on how to improve to a higher level the services that the agency is providing its clients considering the importance of the documents being acquired from the LTO, especially in showing proof that a person is a duly licensed driver or a motor vehicle that is apprehended is registered pursuant to existing laws, rules and regulations.
Galvante was in the city to spearhead the opening of the agency’s driver’s license renewal office in Baguio City which is situated at the second floor of the Porta Vaga mall to cater to the plight of clients for accessibility in transacting business with the agency considering the distant location of the LTO district office in the city which is in Pacdal barangay.
He urged the public to immediately report to him whatever malpractices of LTO officials and employees so that appropriate actions will be done against erring government workers.
By Dexter A. See
