LTO suspends issuance of student driver’s permit

MANILA, Philippines — The issuance of student driver’s permits will be suspended beginning tomorrow, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) announced yesterday.

LTO chief Edgar Galvante said students applying for a permit should undergo the mandatory 15-hour theoretical driving course under the agency or any of its accredited driving schools starting Aug. 3.

“Effective July 1, we will be suspending the issuance of student permits because by August, we will be requiring applicants to go through 15 hours of theoretical session first,” Galvante said.

The policy is pursuant to Memorandum Circular No. 2019-2176, which states that the course should be completed within two years from the date of enrollment.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has reported that around 12,000 drivers in the National Capital Region committed an average of three traffic violations weekly.

Last year, a total of 377,429 traffic violators were apprehended by the MMDA from January to May through its no-contact apprehension.

The STAR reported that the MMDA apprehended 272,440 motorists for violating the yellow lane policy; 41,641 for disregarding loading and unloading zones; 20,070 for disregarding traffic signs; 12,604 for illegal parking, and 11,588 for violating the number coding scheme during the first quarter of 2019.

Galvante said the 15-hour theoretical session would tackle driving laws and regulations.

Before getting behind the wheel, aspiring drivers have to apply for a student permit at the LTO as a prerequisite in securing a non-professional or professional driver’s license.

For non-professional, a person must have had a student’s permit for at least a month before applying for a driver’s license. Those who are aiming to get a professional license need to train for five months in order to legally drive public utility vehicles.