Added burden

As of yesterday the Land Transportation Office had suspended the order requiring persons applying for a professional driver’s license to obtain clearances first from the Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation. But the suspension is only for those renewing their licenses. For new applicants, the clearances are still required.

PNP and NBI clearances for employment won’t do, according to reports broadcast yesterday; the clearances have to be obtained specifically for the driver’s license. Why? Only the folks who decided to add another layer of red tape and fees to the process of obtaining a driver’s license can explain.

As job applicants have previously complained, obtaining a clearance from the NBI can be an ordeal, with lines at the main office in Manila at one point building up even before the start of office hours. The problem is worse for drivers who live in districts where there are no NBI or PNP offices for issuing the required documents.

Requiring such clearances for employment may be understandable, but what’s the purpose for a driver’s license? People with standing arrest warrants are unlikely to bother applying for a PNP or NBI clearance for any purpose. Ex-convicts have a criminal record, but there is no law prohibiting them from working as professional drivers once they have served their sentence.

If this LTO requirement is mainly for law enforcement purposes, the office should simply link up with the PNP and NBI, sharing a database of wanted and convicted felons for quick reference in processing applications for a driver’s license. Otherwise, this is just an additional burden on ordinary people trying to make an honest living with as little hindrance as possible from their government.