LTO suspends order on NBI, police clearance for driver’s license

MANILA, Philippines - The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has suspended the agency’s controversial administrative order that requires professional driver’s license (PDL) applicants to submit National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and police clearances before securing licenses.

But the LTO clarified that applicants for new professional licenses will still need to submit such clearance, a requirement that has been in place since before.

LTO chief Alfonso Tan Jr. issued an administrative order signed by Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya suspending the NBI clearance requirement dated Nov. 25, 2015.

The order states that the suspension of Administrative Order No. AVT-2015-29 came “in view of the non-availability of NBI offices in far flung areas and island provinces.”

It also states that NBI clearance would no longer be required for conductor’s license and subsequent transactions after the issuance of professional driver’s license such as renewal and additional restriction codes.

“The old policy requiring police or NBI clearances for new PDL or change classification from non-professional driver’s license to PDL shall remain in force,” the order stated.

LTO spokesman Jason Salvador told The STAR that the agency is now considering scrapping the administrative order, but they opted to first suspend the order to have more time to evaluate its controversial sections.