Vehicles owned by Pacquiao, PNP among Edsa busway violators
Edsa busway —Inquirer file photo
MANILA, Philippines — Almost five years after the Edsa Busway was opened, thousands of vehicles have been apprehended for using the exclusive lane supposedly to cut their travel time on the busiest road in Metro Manila.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr), however, was perplexed that high-profile personalities and persons of authority, who should be enforcing the law, were among the latest violators apprehended by authorities.
The camp of former Sen. Manny Pacquiao and the Philippine National Police both apologized after their vehicles were caught by enforcers in separate incidents for illegally traversing the Edsa Busway last week.
READ: 3 PNP-HPG personnel relieved over Edsa busway infraction
According to Jonathan Gesmundo, spokesperson for the DOTr’s Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT), there has been enough information dissemination about the regulations of the Edsa Busway in the past five years.
Article continues after this advertisement“We did not fall short of warning the public of the vehicles which can only use the Edsa Busway. It is just that many motorists remain stubborn,” he stressed.
Article continues after this advertisement“It is just recently that a number of people in power have been apprehended recently. They will insist that they are exempted from the regulations and even have the gall to name-drop high officials. But we are unfazed; our officers still give them their violation tickets,” he added.
The Edsa bus lane is primarily for the use of public utility buses, ambulances, and marked government vehicles responding to emergencies. But convoys of the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chief Justice are also authorized on the busway.
Flagged down
Around 3 p.m. on Sunday, officers of the SAICT flagged down a convoy, later identified as Pacquiao, for the unauthorized use of the busway near Ortigas station’s northbound lane.
A black Toyota Hi-Ace van led the two-car convoy. The second vehicle, a black Chevrolet Suburban, had no rear license plate and was illegally using blinkers.
A van passenger said they would pull over to talk to the traffic enforcer but instead fled. The van eventually returned, and its driver accepted the tickets for disregarding traffic signs and illegal use of blinkers.
In a statement, Jojo Cagumay, head of Pacquiao’s security, said he had already reprimanded the driver and ordered him to apologize.
“We do not tolerate any disregard for traffic laws,” he added. “We apologize for this mistake and will ensure it does not happen again.”
He said Pacquiao was unaware of the incident and had told his team to follow traffic regulations.
Around 7:45 p.m. on Friday, SAICT enforcers flagged down two vehicles and the two police escorts using PNP-Highway Patrol Group (HPG) motorcycles, which entered the busway along the northbound lane of the Ortigas flyover.
During the issuance of the ticket, one of the police officers “reacted aggressively and verbally confronted” the SAICT enforcer and even accused the enforcers of the “main cause” of traffic jams on Edsa.
In another video, an HPG member was heard requesting the enforcers to suspend operations, supposedly at the request of PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil.
In a statement, the HPG apologized for the ruckus and clarified that neither Marbil nor its director, Brig. Gen. Eleazar Matta, had any involvement in the incident.
It said Marbil’s name “has been unjustly associated with this matter.”
“The PNP-HPG will not tolerate any actions that compromise the integrity of our institution or its leadership,” it added.
HPG spokesperson Lt. Nadame Malang, in a separate statement on Monday, said the three HPG officers involved in the incident were relieved to pave the way for an investigation. —with a report from Frances Mangosing
