DEPUTY House Speaker and Cagayan de Oro 2nd Dist. Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Tuesday, urged the Department of Transportation and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to scrap the requirement for those renewing their driver's license to go through a comprehensive driver’s education (CDE).

In Resolution No. 2325 filed last Friday, Rodriguez said the CDE “will be an additional expense for the Filipino people during this pandemic.”

He said the requirement “is unnecessary and has no legal basis.”

He said while the LTO is invoking Republic Act No. 10930, “there is no provision in the law which explicitly states that a certification for a CDE is required for renewing a driver’s license.”

“The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that the spring cannot rise higher than its source and implementing rules must conform to the language of the law,” he stressed.

To avoid any confusion on the law, Rodriguez also filed on Friday Bill No. 10430 repealing relevant sections of RA 10930 which the LTO is invoking as the legal basis for the CDE requirement.

Quoting the LTO, he said the CDE is free of charge if it is done through the LTO website.

“However, it could also be obtained from LTO-accredited driving schools for P1,000 to P3,000,” he said.

This could be another source of red tape, harassment and corruption, he said.

The Mindanao lawmaker reminded the LTO that its requirements like vehicle emission testing have been the source of corruption and controversy especially if they are outsourced to private contractors.

He also urged the House to look into the CDE requirement.

He advised the LTO “to properly explain the basis for its impositions and to prove that the correct legal processes were complied with.”