What do you do when you want to accomplish a dream? Do you wait for that dream to come to you or you go out there and make that dream happen?
For Ma. Ludette Ruiz Cambal, 31, her mission in the middle of the pandemic was simple — to renew her Student Permit driver’s license but it led her to a new purpose which was to open up her own driving school in Bogo City, Cebu.
The story goes like this, Cambal wanted to improve her driving skills during the pandemic, was it because of boredom? Maybe. But as a woman who worked for an International non-governmental organization (INGO), you will know that there’s no stopping Cambal from achieving her plans.
Like any other Filipino citizen, you cannot drive without a license and when Cambal found out that her Student Permit (SP) was already expired she immediately went to the nearest Land Transportation Office (LTO) from her town. Little did she know that the requirements have changed and LTO now requires all applicants to have a Theoretical Driving Course as a prerequisite.
Ma. Ludette Ruiz Cambal, 31, only wanted to renew her license but she ended up building her own driving school.
However, she immediately was greeted with another problem — there was no LTO-accredited driving school near Bogo and the nearest would be in Cebu City.
Cambal didn’t want to take the risk knowing that Cebu City was one of the country’s hot spots during the pandemic.
After feeling defeated, Cambal was only washing dishes while talking with her partner Kenneth Sotto, 34, when they both asked the question, “why not put up our own driving school instead?”
Without second thoughts, Cambal and Sotto immediately discussed how to make their dream driving school a reality in November 2020.
KM100 Driving School
KM100 Driving School is Cambal and Sotto’s brainchild, but why did they call it KM100?
According to Cambal, when they were still looking for a name for their business to be registered at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), they found out that the distance between the Cebu Provincial Capitol to Bogo is about 100 kilometers.
KM100 Driving school today, after Cambal and Sotto found the perfect location just along the highway.
Kilometer 100 when shortened to KM100 also happens to be Kenneth and Ma. Ludette’s first letters.
Now that they have the name of their driving school, it was finally time for them to work on the harder parts of putting up the business.
“I encourage everyone, especially young entrepreneurs to never stop dreaming but don’t just simply dream, do something to make it happen. In every problem, there are opportunities and let us discover that opportunity. Remember to celebrate small wins because it’s in those small wins that keep us going,” Cambal said.
The purpose
Cambal decided that before she can truly open up a successful driving school, she must first experience it for herself and of course, she still must renew her license soon.
Without any hesitations, Cambal was ready to travel to Cebu City and enroll for a driving course but news came that LTO on wheels was having a caravan in Bogo.
She went on the first and second day but the 40-person limit was tight. With the long line of applicants, she almost already gave up until she was finally given a slot.
Having to experience the steps and procedure just to renew her student permit, Cambal became more motivated to accomplish their dream of putting up their own driving school.
Ma. Ludette Ruiz Cambal (right) together with her partner Kenneth Sotto (left) at KM100 Driving School, Bogo City, Cebu.
Cambal and Sotto was driven to build an LTO-accredited driving school in Bogo after seeing that many people don’t have the luxury to go to Cebu City for the driving course.
Aside from the travel time, the 15-hour theoretical driving course will cause people to look for an accommodation in Cebu and spend on food.
They wanted to help not only the locals of Bogo but also the nearby towns, they will no longer have to look for a driving school in Cebu City and more drivers will be educated to avoid unnecessary road accidents.
Dream come true
While in the process of working to accomplish all the requirements to put up KM100, Cambal found out that she was pregnant — but it did not stop her.
Although financially, physically, emotionally, mentally stressed, Cambal always kept in mind “why started this in the first place?” You just have to trust and believe in yourself and do not doubt your capabilities, Cambal shared.
After finding the perfect location of their driving school along the highway in Bogo, they found out that the exact location on Google maps was labelled KM100.
KM100 Driving School is equipped with LTO-accredited instructors for the driving course you want.
“The universe aligned,” Cambal said.
And fast forward to April of 2021, KM100 Driving School was finally an LTO-accredited driving school located at National Road, Taytayan, Bogo City, Cebu dedicated to teach proper driving skills and education to help make responsible drivers.
“I encourage everyone, especially young entrepreneurs to never stop dreaming but don’t just simply dream, do something to make it happen. In every problem, there are opportunities and let us discover that opportunity. Remember to celebrate small wins because it’s in those small wins that keep us going,” Cambal said.
Cambal also thanks the people behind her who encouraged her and made their dream happen.
With LTO-accredited instructors, KM100 Driving School now offers both Theoretical driving course (Student Permit prerequisite) and Practical Driving Course (Driver’s License Prerequisite) as well as a refresher course to enhance a driver’s driving skills.
Get your driving course at KM100 Driving School today.
Dedicated to helping all Cebuanos, KM100 Driving School also recently assisted Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) with their driving course.
After hearing good feedback from their students, Cambal shares that all hard work has finally paid off and that their goal now is to open up more driving schools in Cebu.
KM100 Driving School has a satellite office in Daanbantayan for enrollment, to know more about the driving school visit their facebook page or call these numbers: 032 252 3720 for landline and 0956 306 4368 and 0960 505 5818 for mobile.
