LTO suspends more driving schools

Three more driving schools in Metro Manila and Cavite have been issued show cause orders (SCOs) by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in connection with its ongoing crackdown on illegal transactions within the agency.

LTO chief Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II said the driving schools in Las Piñas City, Caloocan City and Silang, Cavite were under investigation for allegedly facilitating the issuance of Theoretical Driving Course (TDC) and Practical Driving Course (PDC) certificates without requiring students to complete the necessary hours and seminars.

These two documents are essential requirements for obtaining a driver’s license.

“We have confirmed information about the wrongdoings of these driving schools,” Mendoza said. “They are now the subject of the investigation, and part of the due process is to issue them with an SCO.”

“But we already issued a 30-day preventive suspension on them pending the result of the ongoing investigation,” he added.

Based on the investigation, the three driving schools were issuing PDC and TDC certificates despite the non-completion of the required hours and seminar for their students.

Mendoza also disclosed that the driving schools were also issuing PDC and TDC certificates for students who did not actually undergo the two courses for certain payments.

“This illegal practice is dangerous. It must be stopped since those who were issued with fraudulent driver’s licenses would most likely endanger the lives of road users for lack of proper training and education,” Mendoza said.

In the SCO signed by Greg Pua, Jr., chairperson of the LTO-Central Accreditation Committee on Driving Institutions, the three driving schools were asked to explain in writing why they should not be punished under existing LTO rules, particularly the LTO Memorandum Circular VDM-2023-2460, or the Revised Omnibus Guidelines on the Accreditation, Supervision, and Control of Driving Institutions, and Standardization of Driver and Conductor’s Education.