TESDA mandated to certify driving skills

THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority on Thursday said it will assess some 55,000 public utility vehicle drivers for government certification.

TESDA chief Joel Villanueva, during the Communication and Exchange forum organized by the Philippine Information Agency, expressed optimism that the agency would be able to issue certificates before 2013, the deadline set by the Department of Transportation and Communication.

The operators would undertake their own driver’s training skill program, instead of TESDA which would be in charge quality assurance, Villanueva noted.

According to Villanueva, of the 55,000 PUV drivers nationwide, at least 15,000 come from Metro Manila.

If other countries are requiring our drivers to secure Tesda driving certificates before they are allowed to work there, we should also do likewise to further upgrade the skills and quality of our PUV drivers, he added.

The DoTC has ordered all PUV drivers to be TESDA- certified by 2013, warning drivers of being banned from the roads for lack of documents.

Based on the data released by the DoTC, at least 70 percent of vehicular accidents involved public utility drivers.

Apart from requiring PUV drivers certificates, Villanueva underscored the need to resolve the issue of fixed salary, reasoning that as long as their pay depended on the number of passengers loaded and trips they made, bad road habits will be dictated by cut-throat competition. –Rio N. Araja, Manila Standard Today