LTFRB launches probe into Baguio taxi driver who drove into cop on New Year’s Eve

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BAGUIO CITY — The taxi driver, who attempted to run over a police officer on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, is now being investigated by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

The driver, Jone Dominguez Buclay, and the operator of the vehicle will be issued a show cause order by the agency as it determines the extent of the “breach of franchise” arising from that incident, according to LTFRB in a Jan. 2 letter to the Baguio City Police Office.

The taxi is part of a fleet which will be subjected to the review, after the police requested for the suspension or revocation of Buclay’s taxi franchise.

Lalaine Sobremonte, LTFRB Cordillera director, also asked for the police report regarding Buclay’s alleged assault of Patrolman Julius Walang who held onto the vehicle as it drove up Abanao Street.

Buclay refused to stop and deal with a traffic infraction at the height of the Dec. 31 holiday rush, said Police Col. Allen Rae Co, Baguio police director.

The taxi moved forward several times to chase away Walang, who was blocking the way, before it accelerated up the street with the policeman clinging to the car’s hood. The road leads up to the BCPO and City Hall.

The incident was caught on the dash camera of another vehicle which the police obtained as it prepares to charge the driver, Co said.

The taxi driver failed a breathalyzer test, suggesting he may have been intoxicated, Co said earlier.