Most abusive company executive
METRO Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Traffic Enforcer Saturnino Fabros thought last Saturday would just be any other ordinary working day.
Fabros is assigned along Tandang Sora Avenue in Quezon City to man the traffic in the area. Little did he know that it would be the day he was to find out the hazards of his trade.
Fabros, 43 years old and a father of six, was busy directing traffic around 3 pm in the area when a Volvo car run past him when it was supposed to stop because vehicles on the parallel street were on the go.
The Volvo car eventually stopped after illegally crossing the intersection. Fabros thought the driver and owner of the said car, Roberto Carabuena, would acknowledge his mistake and apologize to him to avoid getting a traffic ticket.
But lo and behold! Instead of apologizing to the officer of the law, Carabuena attacked Fabros, cussing and slapping him in the face. Fortunately, a TV5 crew witnessed the incident and started videoing the incident.
Carabuena, as it was found out later, is a top executive officer of Philip Morris. He alighted from his car together with another man who was identified later as his brother.
Both men were seen manhandling Fabros who is around 5 feet four inches tall and weighs around 130 pounds compared to Carabuena who is about 5 feet six inches tall and probably weighs around 200 pounds (I’m basing this on the video footage).
Fabros, seeing he was no match to the two burly men, walked away to avoid a possible beating. “King” Carabuena and his sidekick-brother sped away after the incident.
TV5’s T3 program called up Carabuena on Tuesday afternoon to get his side of the story. He refused to be interviewed but said that he will file charges against the poor traffic enforcer. Fabros is a widower and raising his 6 children all by himself after losing his wife to an illness several months ago.
The MMDA filed charges of direct assault on a person in authority against Carabuena before the Quezon City Fiscal’s office last Wednesday afternoon. He should also be stripped of his driver’s license since he is a road rage type of a person and may kill somebody eventually on the street if he continues to drive. Philip Morris should also fire him for being an abusive executive. The latest news is that the cigarette corporation has suspended him.
Carabuena is still fortunate that it was Fabros that he confronted that day. He’s lucky it wasn’t me… because he and his fat brother would have ended in the hospital or, worse, in the morgue.