SENATOR Grace Poe persuaded the country’s public utility vehicle drivers to seize the opportunity of further honing their skills on the road by taking the Tsuper Iskolar Program which can now be availed online.

“Similar to a vehicle’s maintenance, there needs to be a constant check on the driver’s competency and awareness on road safety,” Poe said.

“The training will brace our drivers for lifetime of safer driving,” the chairperson of the Senate committee on public services added.

In the 2023 budget, Poe pushed for the funding of P100 million for the Tsuper Iskolar Program for PUV drivers and another P100 million for the ExTsuperneur Program for motorists who may want to learn new skills or livelihood.

The drivers’ course is being implemented by the Department of Transportation through the Land Transportation Office and the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority.

The entrepreneurship program is under the DOTr in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment.

Trainings are given for free.

The senator said the scholarship programs are now made more accessible with the option to apply online.

Applicants may also go to the agencies’ regional offices to get into the trainings.

Halfway into the year, Poe said the implementing agencies should be stepping up efforts to encourage more drivers to get into the programs to hone or develop new skills.

“There will always be a demand for PUV drivers to transport the public and goods, and for entrepreneurs who will push our industries forward, thus, the need for effective training and guidance,” Poe said.