Passenger of viral EDSA bus lane SUV with plate '7' related to a senator—Tulfo
Sen. Raffy Tulfo said the passenger of the sports utility vehicle with the senator-assigned plate number 7, which passed through the exclusive EDSA bus lane and allegedly attempted to run over a female traffic enforcer, is related to a senator.
"Wala sa 24 senators namin ang involved doon... [pero] I know for a fact na related ito sa isang senador," he said in a press conference on Nov. 6, Wednesday.
He said his colleague wasn't the passenger, but he urged the passenger to come forward.
"Kung ako doon sa pasahero, huwag mo na pahirapan ang aming tao. Aminin mo na, sabihin mo na na nagkamali ka," he said.
Citing intel, he said the passenger arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in a Tokyo to Manila flight on Nov. 3 at 6:06 p.m.
Upon getting picked up, the passenger left NAIA at around 6:30 p.m. and used Skyway Northbound going to Magallanes Interchange. Then, they went to EDSA Guadalupe and used the bus lane.
"My intel tells me na ito'y papuntang Solaire," Tulfo said. "I will draft a resolution para mastop ito."
Driver of vehicle identified, apologizes for traffic violation
Earlier in the day, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) held a press conference with the driver, identified as Angelo Edpan, and Omar Guinomla, director of Orient Pacific Corporation, which owns the vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade.
The LTO previously said no senator had any registered Cadillac Escalade, and only less than 30 individuals own the model.
Guinomla said the company car is "primarily used" as a "guest car" to escort visitors to their investment sites. He, however, didn't disclose the names of their purported guests, citing the ongoing investigation and privacy concerns.
He was also asked whether their guests at the time were public officials, but chose not to answer directly. Instead, he said they cater to foreign and local investors.
Edpan, meanwhile, said he didn't know who his passengers were—as he kept turning to his right as somebody off-screen appeared to be whispering something.
He claimed to have gone to the bus lane on his own, saying he was in a rush thinking there were no people since it was a Sunday. He also said he had a stomachache, even as they came from a restaurant located in Parañaque. They passed through the Skyway afterward to go to a mall in Mandaluyong.
The LTO issued a traffic violation ticket to Edpan on-camera, fining him P9,000 for disregarding traffic signs, reckless driving, usage of low-numbered protocol license plates assigned to government officials, and failure to attach his regular plate.
The agency said it would issue a show cause order and determine whether the driver committed other violations, though said the passengers won't be penalized. It's also validating the ownership of the vehicle.
'Disturbing incident'
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.