ILOILO – The “no exam, no license renewal” policy has not yet begun, but there is another exam that motorists must comply with: they must be physically fit when driving.
Drivers’ license holders must undergo periodic medical exam (PME), according to Atty. Allan Sacramento, acting chief of the operations division of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Region 6.
“The purpose is to see that the license holder is still physically fit to operate a vehicle,” said Sacramento.
The PME would only be implemented by the time a driver qualifies for a five- or 10-year driver’s license extension, Sacramento said.
But before that, a driver must pass the comprehensive driver’s education (CDE), although there is no exact date yet as to when this would be implemented in Western Visayas.
Taking the PME, according to Sacramento, is provided under Republic Act 10930 (an act rationalizing and strengthening the policy regarding driver’s license by extending the validity period of drivers’ licenses) which amended the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.
According to Sacramento, five-year driver’s license holders must undergo a PME on the third birth date of the license’s issuance.
Holders of 10-year drivers’ licenses, meanwhile, must undergo two PMEs: the fourth and seventh birthdates of the issuance.
Drivers can take the PME at any LTO-accredited medical clinic or government health facility, said Sacramento.
A registered physician would conduct a general examination on the license holder, he said.
“Ang una nga gina-check ang imo mata, then imo physical condition. Ginatan-aw man kon wala kaw disability,” Sacramento added.
The physician would then issue a medical certificate containing the results of the PME.
What happens when a driver fails the PME?
His/her license may be revoked until he/she gets well and pass a repeat examination, according to Sacramento.
For drivers or motorists who fail to take the exam on schedule, LTO-6 will automatically revoke the license until they are able to take the exam.
Drivers will be sent a notice via text message or email to remind them of their schedules, according to Sacramento.
Motorists should also not see the PME as an added burden as “it is for the safety of themselves and their passengers,” he said.
He also clarified that the PME is apart from the medical examinations required for applicants of new drivers’ licenses and those renewing expired ones.
“But because of the 10-year validity nga puerte ka lawig, aton i-check kon ang drivers naton physically fit during the validity,” said Sacramento.
In Region 6, the issuance of five- and 10-year validity of the license is expected to commence in the last week of November or the first week of December./PN
