The Senate may investigate a viral SUV with a fake protocol license plate that violated the EDSA bus lane restriction, put traffic enforcers at risk, and the culprit evading arrest, Senator Raffy Tulfo said Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The white Cadillac Escalade displayed a “7” license plate, a protocol exclusive to senators. Traffic enforcers flagged down the SUV since only the Senate president (license plate “3”), among a few top government officials, is allowed on the bus lane. The Land Transportation Office later confirmed that the protocol plate was “fake.”
In a chance interview, Tulfo said he wants to first identify the SUV owner.
“Once na matukoy natin, maybe magpatawag tayo ng hearing para hindi maulit yung ganoong klase ng mga problema na kahit na sino pwede ma-meke ng mga plaka left and right, plaka no. 7, 8, 1, 3, dapat i-stop na ‘yon,” Tulfo said.
[Translation: Once we identify the owner, maybe we can call for a hearing to prevent such problems from happening again—where anyone can make fake plates left and right, like plate numbers 7, 8, 1, 3. That should be stopped.]In an earlier statement, Tulfo, chairman of the Senate committee on public services, said LTO Executive Director Greg Pua, Jr. informed him that there are only 24 Cadillac Escalade units in the country, making it possible to trace the violator.
“We assure the public that a show cause order will be issued to the registered owner and the driver of the SUV involved in the soonest possible time for them to explain the string of violations we already identified based on our existing laws and rules and regulations, including disregarding traffic signs and improper person to operate a motor vehicle,” the LTO said in a statement on Monday.
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero thanked the LTO for its swift action and called on the agency to make sure that the violator is held accountable.
“Not only was it a violation of multiple laws and traffic rules, it also affects the sanctity of the Senate as an institution,” Escudero said.
