Fact check - gov't services/laws

FALSE: Mandatory seminar now required for driver’s license renewal

Rappler.com

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

FALSE: Mandatory seminar now required for driver’s license renewal
The Department of Transportation says the Land Transportation Office has no such issuance or directive, only a proposal for possible discussion and consultation
At a glance:
  • Claim: A mandatory seminar is now required for driver’s license renewal.
  • Rating: FALSE
  • The facts: The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has no such issuance or directive, only a proposal for possible discussion and consultation.
  • Why we fact-checked this: Posts containing this claim were spotted through social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle.
Complete details:

A Facebook post by the Mindanao Daily Mirror states that the LTO in the Davao Region announced a mandatory seminar for drivers who will renew their licenses valid for up to 10 years.

It quoted LTO Davao Region spokesperson Loida Igdanes as saying that a 4-hour reorientation course is needed for non-professional driver’s license holders, while an 8-hour reorientation course is required for professional driver’s license holders.

The attached graphic was reposted by other Facebook pages. These posts were spotted through social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle.

This claim is false.

On Thursday, March 18, Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Libiran addressed the claim by posting the graphic with added text, saying, “LTO does not have an issuance or directive like this.”

“Mayroon pa lamang pong proposal for possible discussion and consultation,” she said. (There is only a proposal for possible discussion and consultation.)

The LTO is an agency under the DOTr.

The Mindanao Daily Mirror and the Philippine Information Agency published almost identical articles on this supposed mandatory seminar. The articles reported Igdanes as saying that the LTO in the Davao Region is “only waiting for the finalization of guidelines from the LTO national office.”

The articles also read, “She clarified that in the absence of the guideline, there is no four to eight-hour seminar requirement yet.”

Republic Act No. 10930, which was cited by Igdanes in the report, does not stipulate seminar requirements, specifying only that “the LTO shall promulgate prerequisites and guidelines before the grant of drivers’ licenses” and that “the conduct of theoretical and practical examinations, among others, must sufficiently measure the competency of drivers.”

In addition, according to the LTO website, the only two requirements for holders of both professional and non-professional licenses is the presentation of the original license and a medical certificate, provided that the license has not been expired for more than two years. – Loreben Tuquero, Therese Litonjua/Rappler.com

Therese Litonjua is a Rappler intern. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s internship program here.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

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