One of the best and the most effective forms of identification is the driver's license. Here in the Philippines, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is the strand of the government who issues it. Early of this year, the LTO released the new guidelines, processes, and regulations in acquiring a driver's license here in the country.
Read: Requirements and Procedure for Applying Driver’s License in the Philippines
In this article, we will be providing what the LTO provided in terms of the new processes and regulations in applying and getting a driver's license.
What does the new guidelines in getting a driver's license cover?
As per the department, this new policy would cover both the groups of people trying to get a new driver's license and those who are applying for a student's permit. To give you a brief refresher, before an individual can apply for a driver's license, they first need to be able to hold a student's permit.
One of the newest parts of this process is that they will now accept medical certificates online. However, there is a condition on submitting these certificates online. As per the agency, they will only accept online submissions if it is from accredited doctors, clinics, and hospitals.
What could be the possible reason for this change in terms of the submission of medical certificates?
Not all people are transparent. As a matter of fact, it is safe to think that almost, if not more than, half of all the applicants submitted a fabricated medical certificate when they applied for a driver's license. This is because the LTO has been very strict in terms of people submitting medical certificates because they caught a lot of people not complying to the conditions in order for a specific individual to drive.
So, under the Memorandum Circular No. 2018-2157, it states that people can only submit certificates online from accredited doctors, hospitals, and clinics.
Read: Philippine National ID: How can you Get your Phil ID?
Is this effective in all regions immediately?
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) imposed this new policy in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Region 11. Other regions in the country have their own schedule of when this specific update will take effect.
So, here are the places and the dates when this policy will take effect:
- Regions IVA, IVB, V, and VII - January 14, 2019 (Monday)
- Regions VI and IX - January 21, 2019 (Monday)
- Regions I, II, and III - January 28, 2019 (Monday)
- Regions VIII, X, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and CARAGA - February 4, 2019 (Monday)
As per the Land Transportation Office (LTO - National Capital Region)
Public Advisory:
In our effort to serve the public better and to conform with the mandate of the law, Republic Act (R.A.) 11032, Ease of Doing Business and efficient Delivery of Government Services Act of 2018 to automate transactions, we included the online medical certificate submission.
Memorandum Circular No. 2018-2157 on the Revised Guidelines for Medical Examination, Accreditation of Medical Clinics and Registration of Physicians Relative to the Issuance of Medical Certificate to Student-Driver's Permits on Driver's/Conductor's License Applicants was implemented in LTO NCR on January 7, 2019.
As a new project, there were system glitches reported and although we trained the doctors on the use of biometric examination and uploading of results in LTO System, still there were delays experienced, as expected of any new system.
Hence, in order not to disrupt the delivery of our licensing services, PENALTIES FOR LICENSES WHICH EXPIRE DUE TO THIS SYSTEM GLITCH WILL NOT BE COLLECTED.
We are sorry for this inconvenience but rest assured that we are working on improving the system.
Pls bear with us.
Thank you
This was LTO - NCR's post on their Facebook page expressing the updates that are happening and what the are currently going through right now. In addition to this, the LTO issued an apology for the inconvenience of their new system via their Facebook page.
What were the reactions of the people and applicants about this?
Unfortunately, some applicants were not shy in expressing their disappointment and their negative feedback about the inconvenience they felt with the new policy. However, some applicants thought of the long-term effect of the online submission of medical certificates and expressed their gratitude to the new system.
Read: Government Professionals are Granted 1 Day to Renew Their Professional Identification Cards
While it can be a temporary negative thing for some people who yearn on getting a driver's license immediately, it can be a positive thing for everyone because the process of submitting the medical certificate can now be done online.
What are your thoughts about this? Is this just fine, given the fact that it can improve the process of Filipinos getting a driver's license?
Those "medical" process from before are not real!!! My sis got her license last year and she undergone "medical" to one of those clinics beside our LTO branch. Asked for her name, age, address, checked her height and weight and voila! 450 pesos! They didn't even conduct a simple urine test. I hope this is not the same kind of scam that's currently implementing. If it is, then shame on you LTO, milking money from people in every way you can! My motorcycle plate hasn't even been released until today since 2015!
Sumunod nlang. . . Dami pa satsat eh. .
it is the same animals owning the clinics, in different maskara. more money goes to their pocket.
Where I come from a driver's license is proof the holder is qualified to drive having taken lessons from a qualified instructor and having passed a 45 minute driving test where failing to signal even once will result in a fail. There is also a written test. In the Philippines no such test exists and that means there are no qualified drivers here. None. A license is just a tax on drivers. Shame on you because the numbers of you dying on the roads amounts to a crime against humanity and an egregious failure of government.
For the seniors all these new things especially when it involve computers are so cumbersome. I hope they exempt all seniors from any new procedure or Let them have the option of the old manual ways. 🙂
This policy is just another red tape act. Because the medical clinics involved during the past are still the same clinics serving today. The only difference is, the medical certificate just cost more and medical certificates are submitted online.
👍👍👍
Agree for new LTO policy once and for all