MANILA, Philippines — The authorized driver of the Philippine National Police (PNP) van that illegally passed through the Edsa busway was relieved from his post and will face an administrative case, according to the police force’s spokesperson.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Col. Jean Fajardo revealed that the van was traced back to a liaison officer from the Police Regional Office (PRO) 10 (Northern Mindanao). However, she said that they have yet to determine whether the authorized driver is the same person manning the vehicle passing through the Edsa bus lane.
“I talked to the regional director ng PRO 10, and he already relieved the authorized driver, and he will face an administrative case for failure to follow specific instructions that marked government vehicles are barred from plying the Edsa busway,” Fajardo said in a mixed of English and Filipino.
READ: MMDA: Marked gov’t vehicles prohibited from Edsa busway starting Monday
She reiterated that PNP vehicles can only pass through the lane if they are responding to a police operation or an emergency.
When asked why an authorized driver from PRO 10 is here in Metro Manila, Fajardo explained that liaison officers are based in Camp Crame, Quezon City. They are tasked to receive documents from various national headquarters and to transport papers to their respective regional officers when needed.
The PNP official likewise disclosed that police are still investigating if the driver also had companions or passengers.
In a statement on Thursday, the Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT) said that the Land Transportation Office will issue a show cause order against the driver for “evading the operatives of the SAICT after it was flagged down for illegally passing through the Edsa busway, northbound of Ortigas station yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon.”