Road safety academy eyed in Cebu City

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu City Councilor James Anthony Cuenco has proposed an ordinance establishing a Road Safety Academy under the Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP) and in partnership with the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

The proposed measure entitled “Road Safety Academy Ordinance of Cebu City” was referred to the Committee on Laws, Ordinances, and Styling as well as the Committee on Budget and Finance for review.

“There is a need to establish a driving school for the constituents of Cebu, especially those constituents who have minimal to no means to enroll in an LTO-accredited driving school and who wish to start a decent livelihood through driving,” read the proposed measure.

Section 3 states that this measure 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.

There shall be created under the DMDP a Road Safety Academy to be accredited as a driving school pursuant to the provisions of LTO MC No. 2019-2176, thereby establishing the same to provide complete course of instruction to student drivers to operate motor vehicles.

Subject to Civil Service Rules and Regulations, the local chief executive or the DMDP head/officer-in-charge, as authorized by the former, is authorized to create positions of personnel as well as instructors who are duly accredited by the LTO to teach complete courses of instruction to student drivers to operate motor vehicles.

Section 6 states the Road Safety Academy shall ensure compliance with accreditation for driving schools, pursuant to LTO MC No. 2019-2176 and other relevant and existing laws; ensure compliance with prescribed driver education standards which include driving instructor’s qualifications, physical sites and facilities, equipment and materials, and other requirements for the issuance of authority to offer or undertake driver education programs, among others.

“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,” Section 8 reads.

The Academy shall keep relevant data and records of the study programs including among others school records of all its students.

Certificates of Driving Course Completion in compliance with the LTO MC No. 2019-2176 shall have the continuous serial and permanent numbers per student on record which may be used as basis in the issuance of certifications for such fact subject to minimal certification fees except those issued to indigent or less privileged students.

Once approved, there shall be appropriated the amount of P100 million which shall cover capital outlay, among others, and shall cover initial fund requirements for supplies and personnel services under the plantilla of positions so created for the management and operation of the Cebu City Road Safety Academy. — KQD (FREEMAN)