BAGUIO CITY – Indigent citizens wanting to be productive and earn income will be able to do so once government-run drivers education centers will be opened in the different parts of the Cordillera.
Francis Ray Almora, regional director of the Cordillera office of the Land Transportation Office (LTO-CAR), stated that one of the major programs of the agency next year is the establishment of government-run drivers education centers where indigent citizens could easily access and avail of the required trainings for them to be issued the appropriate driver’s license to help them get employment.
He said that aside from Baguio City that is now offering free 15-hour drivers education to indigent residents, the LTO-CAR plans to replicate this in three other provinces of the region where there will be available spaces that could be used as classrooms, and areas to maneuver for indigent citizens interested in acquiring drivers licenses they could use for their possible employment or other opportunities to earn income.
While the project will be done nationwide, Director Almora disclosed that the LTO-CAR will strive to put up similar centers in strategic areas in the region to bring closer to the indigent residents these facilities.
The LTO-CAR official reported that one of the strategies of the agency is for the district offices to locate the appropriate areas where the government-run drivers education centers could be established for which funds could be provided to realize the trainings for people to be enticed to avail of such drivers training and eventually be productive in the future.
Under existing laws, rules and regulations, individuals interested to apply for the issuance of their drivers licenses must first undergo a 15-hour drivers education training with an accredited driving center. If they want to upgrade their student driver’s license to professional, they must undergo the required practical driving course from a similar institution before they will be issued such upgraded licenses.
He pointed out that the requirement for individuals to undergo the 15-hour drivers training in an accredited institution is part of the ongoing efforts of the government to professionalize the driving profession to abate the occurrence of untoward incidents and promote safe driving.
Almora appealed to individuals wanting to be issued their student driver’s license to understand that the purpose of requiring them to undergo the prescribed training with an accredited institution is because the lives of people cannot be compromised with the wrong judgment of drivers.
The LTO-CAR worked out the establishment of district offices in the different parts of the region to bring closer to the people the services of the agency for easier access by the agency’s clients who come from the cross section of the society. By HENT
