LTO urged to improve driver's license processing system

MANILA, Philippines – Militant public transport group Pagkakaisa ng Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide (Piston) called on the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to improve the system of issuing driver’s licenses following road mishaps that killed dozens of passengers over the past several months.

Piston secretary-general George San Mateo said the Land Transportation Office (LTO), which issues the driver’s licenses, “should… eliminate fixers and strictly implement the existing requirements” instead of adding unnecessary tests for would-be drivers.

San Mateo issued a statement in reaction to a proposal by some sectors to have applicants undergo neuropsychological tests as an additional requirement for a driver’s license in order to curb the incidence of road mishaps in the country.

He said drug testing and medical checkup are enough to determine if an applicant is fit to drive a vehicle, but since the LTO failed to strictly implement these requirements, some groups have been making money by producing fake test results.

San Mateo also urged DOTC officials to subsidize the cost of drug tests for all public utility drivers. The call was issued during a transport dialogue sponsored by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

He said the LTO and DOTC should focus on ensuring the enforcement of policies that already address the existence of fly-by-night drug testing centers.

In its own bid to rid the streets of drivers working under the influence of drugs, PDEA has asked transport sector leaders to have their drivers and conductors undergo voluntary drug testing.

PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago said the move is necessary following an alarming increase in road accidents blamed on the miscalculation of drivers who were either drunk or high.