Following the tragic incidents on SCTEX and at Terminal 1 of the Manila International Airport, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) held a press conference today. In his opening remarks, the Secretary of Transportation, Vince Dizon, characterized the existing driver’s license system as “flawed” and may have admitted that its vulnerability allows individuals to easily procure licenses by paying a fixer.

“Yung mga driving exam. Alam naman natin yan eh. Diba, bibigyan ka lang ng kodigo diyan, magbabayad ka lang ng isang libo (PHP 1,000) [or] one-five (PHP 1,500), bibigyan ka ng kodigo pasado ka. Yung mga [driving] seminar nga, pelikula lang ang pina-panood diyan eh…Kailangan, magbago na yan. Hindi na pu-pwede yan,” says Sec. Dizon.

(Those driving exams, we all know how it is. Right? They’ll just give you a cheat sheet, you just pay one thousand (PHP 1,000) or one-five (PHP 1,500), and they’ll let you pass the test. Even those [driving] seminars, they just show movies there... That needs to change. That’s no longer acceptable.)

Sec. Dizon also said that he will be directing both the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to fix the system.
“Yung driver education natin, kailangan mag-bago yan. Totohanin na natin. Again, we don’t need to reinvent [the licensing system]. Ginagawa na yan ng ibang bansa. Kokopyahin mo na lang eh. Pero, kailangan, totohanin,” added Sec. Dizon.

(Our driver education needs to change. Let’s make it real. Again, we don’t need to reinvent [the licensing system]. Other countries are already doing it. You just need to copy it. But, it needs to be done for real.)

The prevalence of red tape and corruption within the LTO and the LTFRB is an open secret. This issue is so pervasive that individuals seeking “easy” and “hassle-free” transactions with these agencies can bypass official channels entirely. Fixers, often operating in collusion with agency personnel, also openly advertise their services on social media platforms, soliciting clients without requiring them to visit an actual LTO or LTFRB office.

In light of the recent tragedies, did the DOTr concede to the deeply entrenched and extensive issue of fixers within the LTO and LTFRB?