LTO to minimize face-to-face transactions, shift to digitalization

This is a press release from the Department of Transportation – Land Transportation Office.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has announced that starting August 3, all LTO sites will only accept and process applications for student permits, new driver’s licenses, and additional restriction code transactions from applicants who have secured driving course completion certificates.

In an advisory signed by LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante, the agency said required driving course completion certificates shall be issued by LTO-accredited driving schools, authorized driving school instructors/administrators, and by LTO-Driver Education Centers in LTO offices which are ready to conduct the 15-hour driving course starting July 1, 2020.

All student permit applicants, including those applying for foreign student permits and those with expired student permits who will be applying for new ones from August 3 onwards, are required to secure the Theoretical Driving Course (TDC) Certificate.

For driver’s license applications (both professional and non-professional), all applicants with student permits issued from August 3 onwards will also be required to secure Practical Driving Course (PDC) Certificates.

Meanwhile, applicants for additional restriction codes will also be required to secure their PDC certificates for the additional restriction code being applied for.

These certificates will then be electronically transmitted by the accredited driving school or LTO-Driver Education Center to the LTO-IT system.

As for the conversion of a foreign driver’s license to a Philippine driver’s license, no TDC or PDC certificates will be required.

Galvante said the move aims to further strengthen the digitalization efforts of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in line with minimizing human intervention in various agency transactions.

“To recall, we have already launched the new Land Transportation Management System in 24 offices as our way of adhering to the directive of [Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade] to shift to the digitalization of transactions,” Galvante said.

“As we ready for the nationwide activation of this new system, I have directed all concerned regional offices and district offices to be fully equipped and ready to accept electronically-transmitted certificates, which are prerequisite in securing driver’s licenses before August 3,” he added.

The LTO earlier announced that it would suspend accepting student permit applications from July 1 to August 2, because of new training requirements in the transaction. – Rappler.com