Carabuena at the press con. MMDA Photo
MANILA, Philippines–Robert Blair Carabuena, the man who bullied a Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) traffic enforcer, was rushed to an undisclosed hospital after he was cursed and doused with bottled mineral water at the prosecutor’s office on Thursday, MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said in an interview.
Carabuena has earlier issued a public apology for the mauling of MMDA traffic enforcer Saturnino Fabros in a press conference.
“Robert Blair Carabuena surrendered to Chairman Tolentino and read an apology to Sonny Fabros, MMDA and the public,” an MMDA’s twitter post read.
Tolentino accepted the apology but said that Carabuena would still have to face the direct assault case filed against him by the MMDA.
When Carabuena reached the prosecutor’s office, “pinagbabato (ng bote ng mineral water) at pinag mumura daw s’ya ng mga tao (he was allegedly doused with bottled mineral water and cursed by people),” the chairman said as per reports reaching him.
“Malamig daw at pinagpapawisan kaya dinala na sa hospital (He turned cold but was sweating that’s why he was brought to a hospital),” he said, but added that he has yet to confirm what hospital Carabuena was taken to.
Nonetheless, the case filed against Carabuena shall continue, Tolentino said.
Carabuena gained notoriety after he was caught on video by a TV5 crew berating and slapping Fabros when he was pulled over by the traffic enforcer on Capitol Hills Drive corner Tandang Sora in Quezon City. It ended with Fabros keeping his cool and walking out on him.
The video became viral and brought widespread condemnation from netizens.
Immediately after the incident, Tolentino said he wanted Carabuena to make a public apology for his actions against Fabros and to have his driver’s license revoked.
Carabuena is human resources manager of Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp., which eventually suspended him pending an investigation.