LTO temporarily suspends issuance of student’s permit starting July 1, 2020
Manila, Philippines – The Land Transportation Office said that the issuance of student permit will be temporarily suspended starting today July 1, 2020.
LTO chief Edgar Galvante said students applying for a license should now undergo a 15-hour mandatory theoretical driving course under the agency or any of its accredited driving schools starting Aug. 3, 2020.
“Effective July 1, we will be suspending the issuance of student permits because by August, we will be requiring applicants to go through 15 hours of theoretical session first,” Galvante said.
The policy is pursuant to Memorandum Circular No. 2019-2176, which states that the course should be completed within two years from the date of enrollment.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has reported that around 12,000 drivers in the National Capital Region committed an average of three traffic violations weekly.
Last year, a total of 377,429 traffic violators were apprehended by the MMDA from January to May through its no-contact apprehension.
The MMDA alone apprehended 272,440 motorists for violating the yellow lane policy; 41,641 for disregarding loading and unloading zones; 20,070 for disregarding traffic signs; 12,604 for illegal parking, and 11,588 for violating the number coding scheme during the first quarter of 2019. Galvante said the 15-hour theoretical session would tackle driving laws and regulations.
What you should know!
Before getting behind the wheel, applicants have to apply for a student permit at the LTO as a prerequisite in securing a non-professional or professional driver’s license.
For non-professional, a person must have had a student’s permit for at least a month before applying for a driver’s license. Those who are aiming to get a professional license need to train for five months in order to legally drive public utility vehicles.
Originally, the LTO said that student driver applicants will be required to attend the mandatory 15-hour lecture by April 6, 2020. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the LTO had to postpone its implementation.
On August 3, 2020, Applicants for student permits will now be required to undergo the theoretical lessons. The LTO had to temporarily suspend the issuance of permits as both the LTO and driving schools are setting up where student permit applicants can enroll.
According to LTO lectures will not be free of charge since private company will conduct the seminar. Galvante said that this is in order to add value to the work that the lecturers will do to teach up and coming drivers. By putting a fee for the application process, Galvante said that applicants will put greater value on the topics and lessons that were discussed.
With the mandatory theoretical driving lectures set to be introduced, the LTO believes that this will help in making new drivers more disciplined on the road, as well as be more courteous. Whether this will be effective to get more educated drivers on the road and behind the wheel, however, remains to be seen.
