VP Sara Duterte denies causing QC traffic jam in viral video; QCPD apologizes
Vice President Sara Duterte denied any involvement in the traffic jam caused by a closure of a portion of Commonwealth Avenue by the Quezon City Police Department (QCPD) on Thursday, October 5.
In a statement posted on Facebook at 8:02 p.m., Duterte said she was in Mindanao for the World Teachers' Day celebration and other activities that day. She said the viral video is "spreading injurious information that is grounded in falsity."
"The Vice President did not ask QCPD and will never ask government agencies, including law enforcement bodies," she said, "to carry out actions that would inconvenience the public or cause them harm."
She asked QCPD to conduct an investigation and hold all those responsible accountable, including the person who took the video "and maliciously appended the traffic stop to the Vice President."
The vice president also asked QCPD "to rectify this error and publicly disclose the VIP involved in the road closure."
“I want to emphasize that neither I nor my office ever made any request for assistance from the QCPD to orchestrate such an action. The claims in the video are not only misleading but also outright false. I strongly condemn any actions that disrupt the daily lives and well-being of our fellow citizens,” she said in the letter.
Duterte was referring to the viral point-of-view video on X (Twitter) posted by former lawmaker Teddy Casiño on Oct. 5, where a motorist appears to walk out of his vehicle to question a cop about the closure as multiple horns can be heard.
"Makikisuyo lang po saglit, may dadaan tayong VIP," the cop said. "Si VP," without explicitly mentioning Duterte's name.
"Si VP Sara?" the motorist said, to which the cop responded, "Oo, saglit lang."
Sinarado ang isa sa pinaka busy na kalsada sa bansa dahil tatawid ang isang ViP? Grabe naman yan.
— Teddy Casiño (@teddycasino) October 5, 2023
Sent to me by an ex-military man. pic.twitter.com/hybUl2vo9y
The motorist seemed to be losing his cool, and the cop reiterated it would just be quick. "Dadaan lang, dadaan lang, magko-cross lang po, magko-cross lang po siya, saglit lang po."
The motorist then approaches his fellowmen with an exasperated tone, informing them about the situation.
Casiño noted that the video was sent to him by an ex-military man.
The QCPD in a statement apologized to the public for the "inconvenience."
The incident, it said, "stemmed from a confusion and lapse in judgment" of its policeman, who it named as PSgt. Pantallano.
"It appears that our policeman overreacted when he stopped the traffic for a few minutes, because of misleading information he overheard," QCPD said.
Pantallano supposedly cleared the traffic "as a sign of courtesy and security" to Duterte.
"I have ordered the relief of my policeman and put him under investigation to determine administrative liability for his actions," said PLtCol. May Genio, station commander of Police Station 14. "We assure the public that this incident will not happen again."
QCPD didn't disclose the identity of the VIP in question.
