Over 300,000 drivers renewed their licenses via LTO’s online portal

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has started to roll out driver’s licenses with 10-year validity since October 2021. Motorists without a recorded traffic violation are qualified to be granted the said maximum driver’s license validity.

Drivers renewing their licenses utilized LTO's free online portal to take the refresher course

The LTO has also implemented a new process when renewing the driver’s license. The agency is requiring applicants for renewal to take a Comprehensive Driver’s Education (CDE) refresher course as well as a mandatory exam that can both be availed for free through the LTO’s online portal called Land Transportation Management System (LTMS). 

LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante shared that the agency received an “overwhelming number” of applicants renewing their driver’s licenses through the free online portal. He noted that 331,440 drivers have renewed their licenses via the LTO’s LTMS online portal from November 3, 2021 until January 31, 2022. The number of applicants accounts for 97.2 percent of the total 341,005 applicants who renewed their driver’s licenses during the said period.   

The agency explained that only a small portion of driver’s license renewers have opted to enroll in LTO-accredited driving schools for the face-to-face CDE seminars. Based on LTO NCR’s data, there were only 61 out of 185,231 individuals that took the CDE seminars at accredited private driving schools.    

The educational materials and the mandatory exam can be accessed online for free

Meanwhile, Galvante reiterated that only the LTO should administer the CDE validation exam, either via the LTMS online portal or at the LTO Driver’s Education Centers that offer free face-to-face training at select LTO offices. Galvante added that LTO-accredited driving schools can only conduct the CDE refresher seminar, and serve as “hosts for applicants to take the CDE exam using the LTMS online portal.”  

The training modules and the exam are offered for free at the LTMS online portal, which can be accessed 24/7. The online portal features an array of training videos, slide presentations, or e-books to study the CDE materials. 

Applicants then have to take a 25-question validation exam and answer at least 50 percent correctly to earn the CDE certificate required for their license renewals.

House of Representative Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez

Previously, House of Representative Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez is urging the LTO to suspend the CDE seminar and validation exam. He argues that it can cause the COVID-19 Omicron variant to rapidly spread as the sessions are usually held in cramped spaces in malls. This is the case if the individual chooses to take the CDE in LTO offices or LTO-accredited driving schools. 

Rodriguez also said that the CDE only burdens drivers as LTO-accredited driving schools ask for around Php 3,000 to Php 5,000.

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