TAGUIG CITY – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has implemented a 90-day preventive suspension on the driver's license of an individual involved in a road rage incident captured in a viral video, where a motorcyclist and a traffic enforcer were endangered in Taguig City.
According to Philippines News Agency, the decision came following a complaint from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) acting chair Don Artes. In addition to the suspension, an alarm has been placed on the red Hyundai Stargazer with the license plate NHF588, which was involved in the incident. "Not only a preventive suspension, we also placed an alarm on the red Hyundai Stargazer with plate NHF588 while the investigation is ongoing," Mendoza stated.
A show cause order (SCO) was also issued to the registered owner of the Hyundai Stargazer and to her husband, who admitted to driving the vehicle at the time of the incident. Both were ordered to appear at the LTO central office on September 3 to submit a notarized comment and explain why they should not face further penalties.
The driver, who has since surrendered his driver’s license as per the SCO, faces charges of reckless driving, failure to comply with the duty of the driver in case of an accident, and being an improper person to operate a vehicle, all under Republic Act No. 4136. He appeared before the MMDA on Thursday, admitting his involvement and expressing regret over the incident.
Despite his apology, Artes has called for the suspension of his license and is preparing to file attempted homicide and direct assault charges against him. The police investigation revealed that the incident occurred on August 27, when the red Hyundai Stargazer sideswiped a Honda Click motorcycle on the East Service Road near Nichols PNR Station. After the collision, the motorcyclist tried to block the Stargazer, which led to further confrontations and the subsequent flight of the Stargazer driver. An MMDA traffic enforcer who witnessed the event was dragged along when attempting to stop the vehicle.