Over 4K complete free driving course

CEBU, Philippines — Over 4,000 individuals have received the certificates of completion from the Land Transportation Office-7 of its free Theoretical Driving Courses (TDCs) in the first three months of 2024.

LTO-7 has recorded a total of 4,766 individuals that availed of the free TDC in the whole Central Visayas.

“Our partnership with the different local government units (LGU) and the private sector continues as we give them free TDCs for their residents," said LTO-7 Regional Director Glen Galario in a statement.

Galario said LGUs that are planning to avail of the free TDC can coordinate with any of the LTO offices in the region to schedule and avail of the free program of the agency.

“We are happy with the outcome of our first quarter for 2024 and looking forward to more graduates in the next few months especially that the thrust of our LTO Chief Atty. Vigor Mendoza III is to intensify our ePatrol Mobile Service which features our free TDC program," Galario said.

As of the first quarter of this year, several LGUs in Cebu have availed of the free service which includes Barangay Sohoton in Badian, Barangay Dumlog in Talisay City, Municipalities of Bantayan, Dumanjug, Aloguinsan, San Fernando, Liloan, and Boljoon, and the City of Bogo.

The residents of Siquijor were allotted the majority of the number for TDC slots with more than 2,000 individuals during the “Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair” in February 2024.

The Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair was the first ever in the Visayas-Mindanao area, which was attended by Speaker of the House of Representatives Martin Romualdez who represented President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., during the launching.

“Our goal is to educate individuals, especially those from far-flung areas that are already using their motorcycles as their means of transportation but have yet to possess a driver's license. With our free program, they will know the basics of driving and road safety," Galario further said.

The Municipalities of Pilar in Cebu and Loboc in Bohol also availed of the free TDC for this year.

In 2023, a total of 9,292 certificates were issued from January to December for the same free program of LTO-7. — (FREEMAN)