Solon flags ‘excessive’ LTO-accredited clinic fees

Quezon City Third District Representative Franz Pumaren flagged the practice of some medical clinics accredited by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) of charging driver’s license applicants “excessive and unexplained” miscellaneous fees.

During a Thursday hearing, Pumaren revealed that applicants are being charged approximately P140 in miscellaneous fees and a P60 computer fee, in addition to the standard P300 medical examination fee.

Pumaren, who chairs the House Committee on Transportation, said his team found that clinics could not justify the additional costs.

“They said these miscellaneous fees are part of the IT charges,” Pumaren said. “We are holding this hearing to ensure the public is not burdened by excess expenses, such as convenience, computer and miscellaneous fees.”

The lawmaker cited that during a 7 March hearing, Stradcom Corp. — the local IT provider for the LTO — testified that it has not received any of these so-called fees for several years.

Pumaren further questioned why the LTO has accredited multiple medical IT providers, such as Edgecomm Total Solutions Inc., when the agency already utilizes two main IT systems — Stradcom and the German-developed Land Transportation Management System.

He characterized the role of additional providers as “redundant,” suggesting they act as middlemen that pass data to Stradcom, a service Stradcom claims it can perform directly.

LTO officials admitted they do not monitor the pricing of miscellaneous fees charged by private clinics and clarified that these payments do not go to the government.

LTO executive director Martin Ontog, an attorney, said the agency will review all accreditations to eliminate unnecessary processes.

“The end game here is an improved LTO that provides better services for the people,” Pumaren told DAILY TRIBUNE.