Over 18,000 benefit from free driving course in Central Visayas

CEBU, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office-7 has recorded around 18,000 scholars that benefited from the free Theoretical Driving Course (TDC) offered by the agency, nearly two years after its implementation in the region.

LTO-7 regional director Victor Emmanuel Caindec said this tremendous number of scholarships was made possible by the agency amidst the restrictions brought by the pandemic last year and the devastating typhoon which hit Cebu in December of 2021.

Caindec said that as of August 27, 2022, a total of 18,573 scholarships were released by the agency nearly after two years since its rollout in the region last October of 2020.

“We are proud to say that as of year-to-date, we have released a total of 13,127 scholarships to the different parts of Central Visayas. This is in partnership with the different local government units," said Caindec in a statement.

The director also revealed that the bulk of these scholarships are from their "Malasakit on Wheels" program through the e-Patrol Mobile Service which brings the free TDC program to the barangay level.

“Just in Cebu City, we have conducted 25 different training sessions in the different barangays where we started in the mountain villages,” Caindec said.

Based on LTO 7's Driver's Education Center, the agency served a total of 5,342 TDC scholarships in 2021 and 104 in 2020 where it was launched in the last quarter of the year.

"When we saw the opportunity to partner with LGUs specifically with the barangays, we have received overwhelming requests from the different village chiefs because they also want to educate their drivers in terms of road safety and making sure that they have proper licenses and registrations," added the regional director.

Aside from Cebu City, the e-Patrol were able to visit the LGUs of San Remigio, Tabogon, Sogod, Borbon, Tabuelan, Boljoon, Oslob, Alcoy, Dalaguete, Samboan, Compostela, Tudela, Santander, Pinamungajan, Minglanilla, Naga City, Talisay City, and Sta. Fe in Bantayan Island in Cebu Province.

In the Province of Bohol, thousands were also able to avail of the free TDC from Tagbilaran City, Panglao, Dauis, Garcia Hernandez, Corella, Lila, Dimiao, Cortes, and Carlos P. Garcia.

Initial requests were also received by the agency in some of the LGUs in Negros Oriental.

Currently, a total of 26 barangays and 37 LGUs, both cities and municipalities, availed of the 15-hour TDC.

"One of our targeted sectors are the habal-habal drivers for the agency to help them in getting their driver's license, especially that we have also recorded an increasing number of accidents involving motorcycles," Caindec further said.

LTO Memorandum 2019-2176 or the "Rules and Regulations on Accreditation, Supervision, and Control of Driving Institutions, and on Standardization of Driver Education" mandates all applicants for student-driver's permit to undergo a 15-hour TDC.

Safety Academy

Meanwhile, the Cebu City Council’s Committee on Laws, Ordinances, and Styling has recommended the conduct of a public hearing for the proposed ordinance establishing a Road Safety Academy under the Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP) and in partnership with the LTO.

Councilor James Anthony Cuenco authored the proposed measure entitled “Road Safety Academy Ordinance of Cebu City.”

“There is a need to conduct public hearing involving various stakeholders including but not limited to the Land Transportation Office, Driving Schools in the City, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Services, the barangay captains, persons with student driving permit and others in order to determine the affordable amount or rate of training fees that may be collected pursuant to this proposed ordinance,” read the committee report.

The committee noted that in Section 8 of the proposed ordinance, the amount of fees for the training was not fixed.

Instead, it is left for later determination by the Sanggunian upon recommendation of the officer-in-charge of the Road Safety Academy.

“Minimal fees may be collected from students of the Academy. However, all indigent or less privileged students shall undergo training for free, provided that fact of indigency shall be certified to by the Barangay Captain of the place where he resides. Such minimum fees shall be set by the Sanggunian upon recommendation of the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Academy and such approved schedule of fees shall form as integral part of this ordinance,” read Section 8.

According to the committee, it is important to fix the fees and include it in the ordinance itself to give assurance of its affordability.

“Furthermore, there is a need for the proponent to substantiate why this proposed Road Safety Academy will be under the Department of Manpower Development and Placement with due consideration to the functions of said office provided in Section 2 of City Ordinance No. 1523 dated June 27, 1994,” the committee report further read.

The council set the schedule for the public hearing of the proposed ordinance on October 5, 2022.

As provided in the proposed ordinance, there is a need to establish a driving school for the constituents of the city, especially those constituents who have minimal to no means to enroll in a LTO-accredited driving school and who wish to start a decent livelihood through driving.

Section 2 provides that the ordinance shall provide a driving institution that shall espouse road safety among drivers, and an opportunity for the less-privileged city constituents to properly learn from this academy defensive driving skills and the basics of traffic rules and regulations that will be necessary and beneficial in a particular chosen occupation in driving. — Mary Ruth R. Malinao, GMR (FREEMAN)