MMDA to investigate if Tolentino’s escorts should be charged

MANILA, Philippines — The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said on Friday that it will investigate its personnel who escorted Sen. Francis Tolentino using motorcycles with stickers bearing the police insignia to determine whether they should also be administratively charged.

MMDA acting chief Don Artes made the statement after two MMDA personnel were arrested by the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) for “publicly and improperly using a sticker with PNP insignia.”

READ: HPG nabs Tolentino’s MMDA escorts over sticker with PNP insignia

“Iniintay ko po ‘yung formal na report ng HPG para maka-aksyon po kami, maimbestigahan kung may dapat pananagutan ‘yung aming tauhan,” Artes told reporters in a chance interview.

(I’m waiting for the formal report from HPG so that we can take action to investigate if our staff should be held accountable.)

However, Artes said that the agency’s initial investigation showed that the motorcycles the personnel were using were already old and had been used by different MMDA officials, meaning that other people could have attached the stickers to the vehicles.

“Kasi may ibang opisyales kami sa MMDA na come and go, ‘yung iba galing sa PNP,  so baka along the way nadikitan ito ng sticker ng pulis kaya nalagyan ng ganoon,” said Artes.

(We have other officers in the MMDA who come and go, and the others are from the PNP, so maybe along the way, a police sticker was attached to the motorcycles.)

“Pero hindi na namin ma-determine kung kailan exactly nalagay ‘yung sticker na ‘yan,” he added.

(But we can no longer determine when exactly that sticker was attached.)

Meanwhile, Artes said that after the incident, all MMDA motorcycles underwent inventory to remove any similar symbols.

The two personnel, who were part of the MMDA’s traffic aide unit, were escorting Tolentino when they were arrested.

Artes said the MMDA approved Tolentino’s request to be escorted due to an important meeting with Executive Sec. Lucas Bersamin.