.jpg)
Motorists wait for their driver's license at the releasing office of the Land Transportation Office in Quezon City on Tuesday. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA — A lawmaker on Thursday said she filed a resolution seeking to investigate what she called "anti-poor" and "very expensive" fees for obtaining a driver's license in the Philippines.
Pampanga 4th District Rep. Anna York Bondoc said one would need around P9,000 to P15,000 to to get a non-professional driver's license.
"The fees of the LTO (Land Transportation Office) is around P1,500 kasama na po 'yung medical doon. Ang nagpapamahal po talaga is theoretical driving course between P1,500 to P2,500 and 'yung practical driving course between P3,000 to P7,000," she told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo
"Napaka-antipoor nito and it's very expensive," she added, noting that the proposed congressional probe would include accredited driving schools, whose courses are allegedly pushing the expenses up.
(The fees of the LTO is around P1,500, which includes the medical fee. What makes it so expensive is the theoretical driving course which costs between P1,500 to P2,500 and the practical driving course between P3,000 to P7,000. This is so anti-poor and it's very expensive.)
Bondoc explained that Republic Act No. 10930, which extended the validity of a driver's license to 10 years, required passing a driving school test whether or not one already knew how to drive.
She said that while the law was meant to improve road safety, it pushed some people to turn to bribery due to "prohibitive cost."
"Sino bang kumukuha ng new driver's license? Di ba ito yung 18 years old and above? So ang bigat nito for somebody who doesn't even have a job, nagsa-start pa lang po. Of course, magulang po ang magbabayad. And talagang anti-poor napakabigat nito," she said.
"Napakahalaga ng driver's license... maraming maghahanapbuhay po that includes Grab driver, company driver, family driver, jeepney driver, bus driver."
(Who gets a new driver's license? Isn't this the 18-year-olds and above? So it's heavy for somebody who doesn't even have a job, who's just starting out. Of course, their parents will pay. And it's really anti-poor, it's very heavy. A driver's license is very important... there are many people looking for a livelihood that includes Grab driver, company driver, family driver, jeepney driver, bus driver.)