MANILA, Philippines — The driver’s license of the owner of the sports utility vehicle (SUV) that figured in the viral hit-and-run incident has been revoked, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) said on Monday.
According to a statement from LTO, the owner of the Toyota RAV4 bearing the plate number NCO 3781 — identified as a certain Jose Antonio San Vicente — was found liable by the agency for reckless driving and violation of Section 55 (Duty of driver in case of an accident) of Republic Act No. 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.
San Vicente is perpetually disqualified from getting a driver’s license and driving a motor vehicle, LTO said.
“The LTO finds Respondent San Vicente liable for Reckless Driving and for violating Section 55 (Duty of driver in case of an accident) of R.A. 4136 when he abandoned the scene and the victim. Together with his disregard for the authority of the Land Transportation Office, his acts are considered unacceptable behaviors of a driver,” LTO said.
“Taken as a whole, his actions are tantamount to the acts of an improper person to operate a motor vehicle pursuant to Section 27 (a) of R.A. 4136 […] The Non-Professional Driver’s License of Mr. San Vicente was ordered REVOKED pursuant to Section 27 of R.A. 4136 and he is PERPETUALLY DISQUALIFIED from securing a driver’s license and driving a motor vehicle,” it added.
LTO also confirmed the statements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. earlier, who said that San Vicente already incurred a previous infraction for reckless imprudence.
However, LTO said that there were not just one, but three apprehensions for reckless driving in 2010, 2015, and 2016.
“Verification through the LTO system disclosed that Respondent San Vicente has a record of three (3) apprehensions for reckless driving (2010, 2015 & 2016), showing a history of his reckless behavior on the road,” the office added.
LTO said they made the decision after the owner of the Toyota RAV4 failed to show up despite their two scheduled hearings.
It could be remembered that San Vicente’s SUV went viral on social media after it was caught on a dashboard camera hitting — and then ramming over — a security guard managing traffic along Mandaluyong’s Doña Julia Vargas Avenue.
As a result, the security guard sustained several injuries and had to be monitored at an intensive care unit. Mandaluyong City Police chief Col. Gauvin Mel Unos said last Friday that the victim has been released from the hospital.
However, Unos also said that the SUV was nowhere to be found, as police did not find the RAV4 when they visited the owner’s residence in Quezon City. An alarm has been raised for both the vehicle and the car owner’s license, which would allow authorities to flag down the car.
San Vicente also failed to attend the hearing set by the LTO, prompting the agency to proceed with the case without listening to the side of the suspect.
The driver is facing charges of frustrated murder and abandoning the victim. Earlier, Danao also implied that the driver may be a drug user, claiming the driver’s actions did not reflect that of a person who is not into drugs.