Quezon City judge: Arrest ‘road bully’

It’s far from over for Robert Blair Carabuena, the motorist who was caught on video bullying a traffic aide two months ago.

A Quezon City judge on Thursday ordered the arrest of Carabuena, a human resource executive of Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp., in connection with the direct assault charge filed by Saturnino Fabros, a traffic constable of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Judge Juris Callanta of the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court – Branch 42 set bail at P12,000.

Carabuena was caught on a phone video berating and slapping Fabros at a Quezon City intersection on August 11 after the latter flagged him and his brother Benjamin down for a traffic violation.

The short clip, which was taken by a TV5 researcher, quickly went viral and made Carabuena the target of cyberspace jeering for weeks.

He later issued a public apology to Fabros and the MMDA, but the charge was still filed with the full backing of MMDA lawyers.

Benjamin Carabuena, who also got off the car when his brother confronted Fabros, was also charged by Fabros with direct assault but was later cleared by the city prosecutor.