Road ‘bully’ suspended; traffic aide commended

The “bully” has been suspended from work while the bullied is up for a promotion.

The motorist who was caught on video assaulting a traffic officer of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) was ordered suspended by his company, Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp., pending the outcome of the investigation into the Aug. 11 incident.

In a statement Thursday, PMFTC disclosed its internal action on the case of human resource manager Robert Blair Carabuena, as he faced a complaint for direct assault filed by MMDA constable Saturnino Fabros.

PMFTC reiterated that Carabuena was “on his personal time and not on duty for the company” when the incident took place, but that “it does not condone inappropriate conduct by any of our employees.”

A 27-second video of the assault, which was taken by a TV5 researcher, has been spreading on social networking sites since Tuesday, drawing jeers from netizens, many of whom also called on the tobacco firm to fire Carabuena.

It showed Carabuena berating and slapping Fabros—who did not fight back—as Carabuena’s brother Robert Benjamin looked on. The brothers got off Carabuena’s green Volvo after the traffic officer flagged them down for beating the red light at the intersection of Capitol Drive and Tandang Sora in Quezon City on Saturday.

As the online heckling on his attacker continued, Fabros’ cool composure during the assault as captured by the video didn’t go unnoticed by his superiors.

In a memo submitted to MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino, Yves Gonzalez, the director of the agency’s traffic discipline office, recommended the immediate promotion of Fabros to Traffic Aide 2.

“By trying to enforce the traffic regulation strictly, Mr. Fabros showed his diligence and dedication to his work. Moreover, he showed his utmost patience and tolerance by not striking back at the aggressor,” Gonzalez said.

Fabros, a 47-year-old widower and father of six (not four, as earlier reported), has been working for the MMDA for 27 years.