By Alexandria San Juan The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has clarified that the agency is not requiring any national certificates from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from those applying for student driving permits, contrary to posts circulating on social media. (LTO / MANILA BULLETIN) The agency also belied claims that it will give the same examination to those applying for professional and non-professional drivers’ licenses. In a statement issued by the LTO on Thursday, it said that Facebook posts saying a National Certificate (NC) II is required when applying for student permits are false information. While there are requirements for student permit applications, in accordance with law, the LTO explained that these do not include TESDA-issued NC II requirements. "Totoong may pagbabago sa proseso ng pagkuha ng student permit at lisensya. Ito ay alinsunod sa Republic Act No. 10930, ang batas na nagpapahaba ng bisa ng lisensya at nagbibigay-parusa sa mga aksyon na lumalabag sa pag-isyu at aplikasyon nito, at sa Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) nito," the LTO explained. (It is true there is a change in the process of obtaining a student permit and driver's license. This is in accordance with Republic Act No. 10930, the law which extends the validity of licenses and penalizes any actions that violate their issuance and application and the IRR of the law.) According to the LTO, the law requires the agency to form prerequisites and guidelines to ensure that only qualified and competent driver applicants with knowledge of road safety will be given licenses. "Ito ay para i-angat ang kalidad ng paglilisensya sa mga karapat-dapat na drayber sa ating bansa, at upang masiguro ang kaligtasan sa mga lansangan at maiwasan ang disgrasya sa daan," it added. (This is to raise the quality of licensing to eligible drivers to ensure road safety and prevent accidents.) The LTO also admitted that they are still ironing out details and guidelines to be used in enforcing the new law. However, it urged the public to be vigilant against 'fake news' on the new licensing requirements and avoid sharing these to avoid confusion.