The Land Transportation Office announced over the weekend that it is increasing its on-site issuance of student permits and renewal of driver’s licenses and motor vehicle registrations as part of the ongoing vigorous effort to combat fixers.

LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II said they conducted on Saturday, 17 February, an outreach program for local residents

of Marikina City for the issuance of a student permit, renewal of professional and non-professional driver’s license and even the renewal of the motor vehicle registration.

There is also free medical services during the outreach program, Assec Mendoza said.

“This is part of the instruction of President “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. and DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista to bring the government services closer to the people under the Bagong Pilipinas program,” Mendoza said.

“Ito rin ang sagot ng inyong LTO upang tuluyang tuldukan ang mga maling gawain ng fixers na nagpapasama sa imahe ng aming ahensya. Through this outreach program, we are going directly to the communities to serve the people who are too busy, or have their own personal reasons, why they could not immediately go to our offices,” he added.

Since his assumption to the top LTO post in July last year, Assec Mendoza has initiated programs for faster and more comfortable transactions to the agency’s clients, particularly the full digitalization program which would lessen human interventions on all the transactions.

The LTO also initiated strong alliances with various law enforcement agencies, particularly the Philippine National Police (PNP) in running after fixers, and even sent confidential agents in various LTO offices across the country to monitor the presence of fixers.

Mendoza explained that bringing the LTO services to the people will deny fixers the opportunity to take advantage of busy people and those who are victims of misinformation that it takes time and it is difficult to do transactions in the LTO.

“This wrong information is being sown by the fixers themselves to their advantage. Magpapakalat sila ng mga maling impormasyon na mahirap ang transactions sa LTO para nga naman sila ang bida at sila ang kikita,” Mendoza said.

“We would like to inform the public that this is no longer the case now. The transactions are fast and comfortable and the outreach program that we are conducting will also serve as proof to this,” he added.

Mendoza also instructed all Regional Directors and District Offices to replicate the on-site issuance of student permits and other LTO-related transactions in their respective areas of responsibility as part of information dissemination and public service.