Two motorists who went viral for trading punches during a traffic altercation in Cainta, Rizal have been summoned by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to explain why they should not lose their driver’s licenses.
According to Dano Tingcungco’s report on “Saksi” on Monday night, the viral video showed two men – one of them already shirtless and the other wearing a white shirt – quarreling and exchanging blows on a busy street at around 3 p.m. Sunday.
The shirtless man wielded a baseball bat but ended up losing it to the other motorist who punched him repeatedly until he fell.
The viral video showed the two men walking away from each other but ended up trading blows once more until the shirtless man fell once more on the street.
The video uploader said the traffic altercation began in the vicinity of the Cainta Junction when one of the drivers honked at the other for attempting to cut into his lane.
One of the vehicles tried to avoid a confrontation but later pulled over at a gas station, prompting the other vehicle to also pull over. One of the drivers then got a baseball bat, the video uploader said.
The viral road rage incident has caught the attention of the LTO, which issued a show cause order (SCO) against the two motorists to compel them to explain why their drivers’ licenses should not be revoked.
The report noted that aside from causing a commotion that caused a traffic jam, one of the drivers wielded a baseball bat that could have caused damage or injury.
Investigation also showed that the registration papers of one of the vehicles was already expired.
In the meantime, the drivers’ licenses of the two men were placed under preventive suspension for 90 days.
Police said both parties eventually settled their differences and decided not to file cases against each other.
In a statement, LTO chief and Assistant Transportation Secretary Markus Lacanilao stressed that road rage and expired vehicle registrations are threats to public safety and a violation of traffic rules.
“Hindi tatanggapin ng LTO ang anumang pag-uugali na nagdudulot ng panganib sa ibang mga motorista o hindi pinapahalagahan ang mga regulasyon sa transportasyon,” he said.
(The LTO will not accept any behavior that poses danger to other motorists and does not value transportation regulations.)
The two motorists were ordered to submit their respective verified explanations before the LTO Intelligence and Investigation Division (IID) on February 5 at 1 p.m.
They should explain why they should not be held liable for administrative cases such as obstruction of traffic, reckless driving, failing to comply with the compulsory registration of motor vehicles, and being an improper person to operate a motor vehicle.
Their vehicles were also placed under LTO alarms to prevent any transaction.
Their failure to appear for the hearing and submit their explanation would mean that they are waiving their right to be heard and that the LTO will resolve the cases based on the evidence at hand. — JMA, GMA Integrated News
