The Land Transportation Office (LTO) Region 7 has issued a total of 5,339 certificates for its Theoretical Driving School (TDC) Malasakit Program in the region for 2021.

This is equivalent to P18.6-million worth of TDC scholarships in an average tuition value of P3,500 per TDC scholarship from the private driving schools.

LTO-7 Regional Director Victor Emmanuel Caindec said these scholars availed of the agency's free scholarships as one of the major requirements for availing of the student-driver's permit from LTO.

"Not to mention bringing the program and LTO-7's services to the doorsteps of remote mountain barangays and municipalities," said the regional director.

Caindec added that LTO-7's TDC Malasakit Program will continue this year and even continue expanding to the remote and mountain barangays within Central Visayas.

In the certificate of completion issued for TDCs in Central Visayas for 2021, majority of the scholars or 4,601 individuals availed of the free TDC through Malasakit on Wheels E-Patrol Mobile Service, while the remaining 738 scholars availed through the Driver's Education Center (DEC) located at the LTO-7's Malasakit Service Center along N. Bacalso Avenue, Cebu City.

In 2020, a total of 923 scholars availed of the TDC scholarships.

Currently, LTO-7 has suspended conducting the TDC program at the DEC.

With the LTO Memorandum 2019-2176 or the "Rules and regulations on accreditation, supervision, and control of driving institutions, and on standardization of driver education," all applicants of student-driver's permit shall undergo a 15-hour TDC.

TDC is only the first phase of the two courses of instructions of the said memorandum given to individuals who want to avail of the driver's license.

"We will continue to expand LTO Region 7's very own Malasakit Program where we started servicing the far-flung areas and the mountain barangays. Our goal is to partner with local government units to give scholarships to those deserving and who cannot afford private driving schools," said Caindec.

In the last quarter of 2021, LTO-7 has started partnering with village chiefs in mountain barangays in Cebu City.

It has released over a thousand TDC scholarships and has expanded to Talisay City.

In August 2020, LTO-7 started offering the free service of TDC scholarships to help underprivileged and deserving Filipinos avail of this to get a driver’s license. (PR)