The Land Transportation Office (LTO-7) is now in the process of auditing all its offices in preparation for the roll-out of the 10-year Driver's License in the region.

LTO-7 Regional Director Victor Emmanuel Caindec said initially, the LTO Central Office has relayed that other LTO offices in the country that were not part of the first roll-out in its Central Office Licensing Section in Quezon City on Oct. 28 and National Capital Region (NCR) offices which started Nov. 3, will start rolling out the 10-year Driver's License on Dec. 1.

"We are waiting for the final office orders but there's a strong chance nga December 1 ang LTO Region 7 will be able to initially start issuing the 10-year license cards," said Caindec.

In preparation for the major development in the history of LTO, Caindec said they are also doing an audit on the capability of their offices in facilitating the said new validity.

"We are also checking on the state of all the computers as well as starting our familiarization with the new system," he said. 

The director explained that they are making this pre-announcement for the public to know what they need to do before renewing their driver's license. 

Under Republic Act (RA) No. 10930 which amended the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, a driver can only get a 10-year driver's license if the "holder of a professional and nonprofessional driver's license has not committed any violation of Republic Act No. 4136 and other traffic laws, rules and regulations."

Aside from passing the examination at any LTO office for the renewal of a driver's license, all renewing applicants shall undergo the Comprehensive Driver's Education (CDE) to get a CDE Certificate.

The CDE Online Validation Exam is readily available to all applicants for free at the LTO Portal (portal.lto.gov.ph) and LTO offices through its Driver's Education Centers.

The same refresher course will also be available at the LTO-Accredited Driving Schools where fees may be applicable.

Renewing applicants should pass at least 50% or 13 correct answers out of the 25 questions to get the CDE certificate.

Before taking the exam, one should pre-register at the LTO Portal.

Caindec also clarified that passing both the CDE Exam and the mandatory examination for renewal of driver's license, will not automatically guarantee a 10-year driver's license card.

Under Section 9 of RA 10930, "LTO shall institutionalize a point system which shall be used to assess the fitness and eligibility of driver applicants for their desired license transactions."

"The system shall likewise be utilized as the primary tool to identify, deter, and penalize repeat offenders of traffic laws and ordinances. The LTO shall establish and maintain a registry where demerit points incurred by every driver shall be recorded, stored, and accessed for convenient monitoring," read Sec. 9 of RA 10930.

The director said that if the renewing applicant has previous violations in the last five years, they may only be given the five-year Driver's License validity or may undergo a mandatory driver's reorientation course.

Renewing a driver's license will only cost P585 for one-time renewal of Standard Professional and Non-Professional license.

Excluding the P67.63 computer fee and penalty for late renewal which will range from P75 to P225.

LTO's Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) Online Portal offers CDE Presentation Materials which include: Road Safety, Road and Traffic Rules, Special Laws (light vehicle), Special Laws (Motorcycle and Tricycle), Other Regulations, and General Information. (PR)