The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is proactively working on streamlining its processes to minimize the dependence on fixers, with one major focus being the revision of the driver’s license examination for applicants.
LTO Chief Jay Art Tugade has recognized that the extensive procedures within the agency have led many driver applicants to resort to utilizing fixers. He expressed concern when he discovered the current examination takes an hour to complete, prompting him to establish a committee to scrutinize the exam questions and condense the content without compromising its primary objective – licensing proficient drivers with emphasis on knowledge, skills, and attitude.
Tugade stated, “I instructed our committee to condense the exam, as it currently takes about an hour. The agency is now considering how to reduce the exam duration. I believe that by minimizing the duration of the test, our applicants will be less inclined to seek out fixers and more likely to take the exam themselves.”
The committee is presently evaluating exams for new non-professional licenses, new conductor’s licenses, changes in classification from non-professional to professional, and the addition of driver’s license codes.
Moreover, the committee is researching the possibility of “customizing” the questions in order to tailor them to the specific license classification or driver’s license code that a given applicant is applying for.