Officers of the Highway Patrol Group allegedly held up a UV Express driver on Aug. 15 in what the complainant called an illegal operation.
Around 5 a.m. on that day, HPG officer Rekinales apprehended driver Jerry Dizon along Zabarte Road and accused him of taking passenger and collecting fare amounting to P50 as stated on an inspection summon report issued by a certain Mr. Oclares. It was later found out that Oclares was never at the Novaliches area on that day and time, and was seen inside the LTFRB compound when the summon ticket was issued.
Dizon, on the way to his UV Express terminal at Robinson’s Novaliches where he normally starts his route as stipulated on his franchise, offered a ride to five relatives and three neighbors from the same subdivision (Villa Magdalena 3) where he resides and where the UV Express van’s garage is located.
Rekinales and another HPG enforcer told Dizon they were conducting a checkpoint under the I-Act operation to catch “out of line” and “colorum” violators. According to Dizon, the officers did not even ask the passengers if they are indeed paying fare and did not give him a chance to explain that he only gave a ride to his relatives and neighbors going to the terminal free of charge.
“The UV Express driven by Jerry came from his house which is in between the Zabarte and Vicas UV terminals. He could have fully occupied the van with 18 passengers if he intended to operate outside the allowed franchise route since many passengers are at the two terminals,” said owner and complainant Ramil Aninang, an IT expert and businessman.