MINERVA BC NEWMAN
CEBU CITY – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Central Visayas has prepared its various offices in the region for the 10-year driver’s license validity to start in October 2021, which was supposedly implemented this year but because of the COVID-19 pandemic it was moved to next year.
LTO-7 regional director Victor Emmanuel Caindec said that all the IT infrastructures are already being programed for implementation and the intention was to somehow run the 10-year license validity within the 2020 timeframe, but due to Covid-19 there are some concerns that might affect the smooth implementation of the program.
Caindec explained that the 10-year license validity uses the backbone of the new LTO- IT system which started with the new 5-year card validity program that connects to the agency’s Automated Certification and Education of Student-Drivers (ACES).
“Ultimately the new LTO-IT system will now be able to integrate the ACES, the 5-year validity, the LTO point system, the LTO enforcement system and other programs and it has to be cohesively implemented to realize the mechanism of the 10-year validity,” Caindec said.
Caindec added under Republic Act No. 10930, any holder of a professional or non-professional driver’s license who has not committed any violation of Republic Act No. 4136 and other traffic laws, rules, and regulations shall be entitled to a renewal of such license to ten (10) years.
Caindec explained that under RA-10930 every violation of the Land Transportation and Traffic Code including other traffic laws, rules, and regulations of local ordinances will automatically accumulate demerit points depending on the gravity of the violation.
“There is a point system required and to be able to establish the point system, there has to be that apprehension system to connect to the database,” he said.
Caindec went on that renewal requires mandatory hours of lecture and courses, to determine the number of hours that you need to take for the refresher it also needs that there must be a corresponding connection to the LTO’s enforcement system to determine the additional hours for your lecture and courses.
The agency needs to make sure that all its IT system is in place. The implementation of the LTO management system is projected to last until October 2021 especially with the pandemic. It set a deadline on October this year to finish the installation of the new computer hardware but due to COVID-19 completion might not be possible yet. hence “we are targeting October 2021 for the complete interface and full implementation of the project,” Caindec said.
LTO planned to implement in Bohol and Dumaguete as pilot areas but the agency couldn’t assure the viability of the idea because then the dry-run of the system must take place and there must be confirmation that the system is ready, Caindec bared.
The 5-year license validity is already integrated under the new Dermalog system but the other systems specifically the enforcement system must be accessed via the management system which has to be installed in all the LTO offices in the country, Caindec revealed.
“One of the things that need to be considered is the preparedness of the local government units. LGUs must now connect to LTO’s enforcement system hence, the LGUs must have a proper ordinance, they must enroll into the LTO’s system, they must be able to have the capability to access our system, and they must now re-engineer their fines and administration framework to conform with our system, that itself will take some time,”Caindec said.
Caindec clarified that the 10-year license validity will only apply to all renewing licenses. New non-professional and professional driver’s licenses will have a 5-year license validity on its first license.
