Land Transportation Office (LTO) Chief Assistant Secretary Jose Arturo "Jay Art" Tugade on Friday vowed to resolve the hefty fee charged by driving schools.
This comes after Pampanga 4th District Rep. Anna York Bondoc filed a resolution seeking to probe the excessive cost of acquiring a driver's license.
According to Bondoc, driving schools charge applicants about Php 1,500 to Php 2,500 for a theoretical driving course (TDC) while Php 3,000 to Php 7,000 for a practical driving course (PDC).
In a statement, Tugade said they have formed a technical working group (TWG) tasked to study the operations and fees charged by driving schools and medical clinics.
"LTO is aware of the issue of driving schools charging excessively for TDCs and PDCs, which is why the agency is continuously conducting consultative meetings with stakeholders related to this activity," he said.
Tugade said they are still finalizing the amended guidelines that will standardize the rates of driving schools and medical clinics.
"Batid po namin sa LTO ang sentimyento ng ating mga kababayan, kaya naman ito’y amin nang pinag-aaralan para solusyunan. Maaaring sa mga susunod na linggo ay makapagpalabas na kami ng nirebisang panuntunan hinggil dito," he said.
He advised the public to take the free training and theoretical driving courses offered by local government units and LTO-partner groups while awaiting the reforms.