THE Metro Manila Development Authority has asked the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to penalize the operator of MM Bus Corp. whose driver and conductor mauled two enforcers who apprehended them for violating traffic rules in Cubao, Quezon City last Monday.
The driver, identified as Eddie Magangcong Jr., 38, and his conductor Kim Lester Padilla, 22, are now detained at the Quezon City Police Station 7 jail and were slapped with criminal charges before the city prosecutor’s office.
The MMDA traffic enforcer Roberto Supan suffered neck injury while his companion Rodel Abanil sustained hand injury.
MMDA officer-in-charge for planning Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said the Office of the Chairman (Danilo Lim) requested that the LTFRB impose appropriate sanctions against the operator of the bus firm and its two personnel.
“We’ve learned that they [LTFRB] already invited concerned parties. It is up to them now to decide what would they do, but they must consider our traffic enforcers were mauled, suffered injuries and brought to a hospital,” said Garcia.
Initial investigation conducted by Cubao Police Station showed the traffic enforcers, manning the area of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue near P. Tuazon Boulevard, stopped the (SM Fairview-Baclaran bound) bus around 3 p.m. on Monday after it off loaded passengers in a “No Loading and Unloading Zone.”
It also showed that the driver, instead of surrendering his license and get a citation ticket, confronted the traffic enforcers. The driver and the conductor alighted from the bus and assaulted the enforcers.
The suspects rushed and locked themselves in the bus.
But the enforcers immediately sought assistance from police personnel stationed nearby resulting in the arrest. A video footage of the incident went viral on social media.
“We have to respect our enforcers…We have to cooperate and obey traffic rules,” said Garcia.
