THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) admitted it does not regulate or monitor the miscellaneous fees charged by its accredited medical clinics, as lawmakers pressed for greater transparency in the costs imposed on driver’s license applicants.
LTO Executive Director Martin Ontog said the agency has no oversight of additional charges, such as miscellaneous and computer fees collected by clinics. He clarified that proceeds from these fees do not go to the government.
The disclosure came after the House Committee on Transportation, chaired by Quezon City 3rd District Rep. Franz Pumaren, raised concerns over reports that applicants are being charged around P140 in miscellaneous fees and P60 in computer fees on top of the P300 medical examination cost. Lawmakers noted that clinics have failed to clearly explain what these charges cover.
Pumaren said the practice appears to be widespread and may be unnecessarily burdening the public, prompting the committee to examine whether current accreditation policies allow excessive or redundant charges to persist.
The lawmaker also questioned the role of multiple medical information technology providers accredited by the LTO, despite the agency already working with Stradcom Corp. and Dermalog Identification Systems GmbH for its Land Transportation Management System.
One of the accredited providers, Edgecomm Total Solutions Inc., said it facilitates the electronic submission of medical results, a requirement implemented in 2019 under then-LTO chief Edgar Galvante. However, Pumaren argued that such providers may be acting as intermediaries, noting that some still transmit data through Stradcom, which he said could perform the same function.
Ontog said the LTO would review all existing accreditations in a bid to streamline processes and remove unnecessary steps that could be contributing to added costs.
The committee is expected to continue its inquiry as it seeks to determine whether stricter regulation or policy changes are needed to protect motorists from excessive fees.