CEBU CITY, Philippines — The IT infrastructure of the Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7) is already being programmed in preparation for the expected roll-out of driver’s licenses with 10-year validity in 2021.
In a statement, LTO-7 Regional Director Victor Emmanuel Caindec explained that the 10-year license validity will be implemented using the backbone of the new LTO IT system, which started with the current 5-year license card validity program and connects to the agency’s Automated Certification and Education of Student-Drivers (ACES).
The implementation of the 5-year validity of licenses started in 2016 in Central Visayas.
Caindec also revealed that had it not been for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the implementation of the 10-year validity of the licenses could have started in 2020.
LTO chief Edgar Galvante earlier announced that the agency will roll out in October 2021 the 10-year validity of driver’s licenses, which may be availed by drivers who are with good standing.
READ:LTO to roll out 10-year validity of licenses for drivers with zero violations
“All the IT infrastructure is already being programed for implementation but due to COVID-19, there are some concerns that the delays might affect the implementation. Furthermore, there is an intention to somehow run the 10-year license validity within the 2020 timeframe,” Caindec said.
“Ultimately the new LTO IT system under the new LTO management system will now be able to integrate the ACES, the 5-year validity, the LTO point system, the LTO enforcement system, etc., and it has to be cohesively implemented to realize the mechanism of the 10-year validity,” he explained.
The agency will employ a point system that will be connected to its database every violation of the Land Transportation and Traffic Code and other traffic laws, including local ordinances, will automatically accumulate demerit points on the part of the driver.
“Renewal requires mandatory hours of lecture and courses, to determine the number of hours that you need to take for the refresher it also needs that there must be a corresponding connection to the LTO’s enforcement system to determine the additional hours for your lecture and courses,” Caindec explained.
Caindec said the development is “part of a bigger transformation of LTO’s entire governance system in so far as licensing regulation is concerned.”
“The implementation of the LTO management system is projected to last that long (till October 2021), especially with the pandemic” Caindec added.
According to the agency’s statement, the LTO Cebu offices earlier set a deadline to complete the installation of the new computer hardware by October 2020. However, the events caused by COVID-19 has overtaken the process and it will no longer be possible to meet the original target.
“There is an intention to implement in pilot areas, we have Bohol and Dumaguete as pilot areas but we cannot assure whether that becomes viable or not, because then the dry-run of the system has to take place and there has to be confirmation that we are ready,” Caindec said.
The LTO official said the preparedness of the local government units will also be another factor for the rollout.
“LGUs must now connect to LTO’s enforcement system and to do that, the LGUs must have a proper ordinance, they must enroll into LTO’s system, they must be able to have the capability to access our system, and they must now re-engineer their fines and administration framework to conform with our system, that itself will take some time,” said Caindec. /bmjo
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