Viral EDSA bus lane SUV with plate number 7 fake—LTO
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) said the viral sports utility vehicle with the senator-assigned plate number 7, which allegedly passed through the exclusive EDSA bus lane and attempted to run over a female traffic enforcer, was fake.
"The initial information we have based on the assessment of the pieces of evidence at hand is that the '7' protocol plate attached to the SUV in the viral video is fake, and that there was no protocol plate issued to the same type of vehicle," the LTO said in a Facebook post on Nov 5.
The agency said it's coordinating with the Department of Transportation's Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (DOTr-SAICT) for more specific details of the white SUV that will lead to identifying the registered owner.
The LTO said it will issue a show cause order to the registered owner and driver of the vehicle "[at] the soonest possible time" so they can explain their identified violations, including disregarding traffic signs and improper person to operate a motor vehicle.
It will also coordinate with the office of Senate President Chiz Escudero regarding all the information it would obtain from its investigation.
The LTO warned motorists against the illegal use of protocol plates, as "utter disregard of the law and the existing rules and regulations on road safety will not be tolerated and will be dealt with accordingly."
In a Facebook post on Nov. 3, the DOTr-SAICT shared a video of a "disturbing incident" at 6:58 p.m. at Guadalupe Station's northbound lane.
In the first-person video, the DOTr-SAICT enforcer asks the driver to stop and back up. "While assisting buses to move forward, Secretariat Sarah Barnachea of the DOTr-SAICT noticed the white SUV illegally passing through the bus lane," the agency said in the caption. "Secretariat Barnachea approached the vehicle to apprehend and verify the driver's identity. However, the driver, instead of cooperating, attempted to run over Secretariat Barnachea and flee the scene."
Another traffic enforcer, identified as Secretariat Reyno, came to assist Barnachea.
"Despite their efforts to approach the driver politely and perform their duties," the DOTr-SAICT said, "the driver continued to resist and eventually reversed the vehicle until reaching the open barrier, where they managed to escape."
A passenger in the back seat also allegedly raised their middle finger at the officers, the agency added.
In the latter half of the video, the back seat window partially opens, briefly revealing a man using his phone, seemingly documenting the officer apprehending them. In the passenger seat, another man can be seen as he guides the driver to avoid hitting anything. He ignores Barnacheo, who asks for the driver's license.
The EDSA busway is reserved for public utility buses, emergency vehicles like ambulances and firetrucks, and marked government vehicles responding to emergencies.
In November 2023, the DoTr noted that the country's top officials—the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court—may use the lane “to provide assistance in the performance of their duties.” The officials have to inform the DOTr ahead of time, and once approved, the plate number will be given to traffic enforcers.
At the time, DOTr Command and Control Operations Center Chief Charlie Del Rosario told CNN Philippines' The Source that they pertain to those “performing duties and responsibilities within the busway” like construction, security, janitorial, and maintenance services. But he said there are special cases, like when the Department of Social Welfare and Development needed to respond to a disaster.
Authorities have apprehended unauthorized vehicles passing through the bus lane.
Unauthorized usage of the EDSA bus lane incurs a P5,000 fine on the first offense; a P10,000 fine, one-month suspension of driver’s license, and a road safety seminar on the second offense; a P20,000 fine and one-year suspension of driver’s license on the third offense; and P30,000 fine and cancellation of driver’s license on the fourth offense.