Lady driver cites ‘AFP connection’ to evade ticket

A lady driver who was flagged down for illegally using the Carousel Bus Lane in Makati City on Thursday night, April 11, evaded receiving a traffic violation ticket after she used her alleged connection with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The unidentified driver was onboard a black Toyota Fortuner SUV when she was apprehended around 6:35 p.m. at the south bound lane of Guadalupe Carousel Station by personnel of the Department of Transportation (DOTR) Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Philippine National Police-highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG).

The SAICT said the driver was estimated to be between 40 and 43-years-old. She was reported to the Metrobase for speeding in the exclusive bus lane while heading towards Guadalupe from Ortigas, it added.

A 4:06-minute long video of the incident was posted by the SAICT on Facebook.

In the video, the apprehending personnel was heard asking for the driver’s license of the lady driver, but the woman behind the steering wheel responded that she's a niece of a general: "So ‘wag mo akong aanuhin. I’m a military. I’m from Armed Forces of the Philippines.”

The driver claimed to be connected with the Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP). She said she was also involved in the upcoming Balikatan Exercises between the AFP and United States military.

The apprehending personnel acknowledged the driver but informed her that private vehicles are not allowed to ply the Carousel Bus Lane.

The personnel asked for the driver’s license of the erring lady driver for confiscation and citation of a violation ticket but she defied him: “Ayoko, hindi ko ibibigay. That’s why next time hindi na ako dadaan dito (No, I don’t want to give it. That’s why next time I would no longer pass through here).”

The personnel could not do anything but return the documents and identification cards of the lady driver, who appeared to have rendered a salute before she left.

The DOTR-SAICT said a show cause order was being sought from the Land Transportation Office (LTO).