Mandaue traffic officer escapes from abductors

It’s a tough job being a traffic enforcer.

Virgilio Cruel, 53, a member of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team), said he was abducted Wednesday morning, apparently as a reprisal for apprehending a truck driver for a violation, but managed to escape by jumping out of an orange car.

He said the incident happened after he apprehended a 10-wheel truck for illegal parking along Mantawi Drive about 10 a.m. last Friday.

The truck driver refused to show his driver’s license and instead called someone on his cellphone.

A few minutes later, an orange car arrived. A man believed to be the boss of the truck driver alighted from the vehicle and scoleded Cruel.

“Gikasab-an ko ug largo sa lalake pag-naog niya sa sakyanan, wala kuno ko katungod manakop,” Cruel told reporters yesterday.

(The moment the man alighted from the car, he berated me, saying I had no authority to apprehend the truck.)

Then the man asked the traffic enforcer to board the car so they could face each other at the Team office near the Mandaue City Sports Complex.

Cruel was hesitant to board but later agreed, taking the back seat. Cruel said another man was driving the car.

Instead of going to the Team office, the car headed for Cebu City.

The man told Cruel he was taking him to the National Bureau of Investigation office to have him detained.

Alarmed, Cruel opened the car door and jumped. He tumbled out and landed hard on the concrete pavement.

Another Team member who was riding a motorcycle saw him and went to his aid.

Cruel said he noted down the plate number of the car before it sped off : YDV 277.

It was traced to a Kia Picanto registered under the name of John Lee of Dagohoy Street, San Antonio Village, Cebu City, based on records of the Land Transportation Office, said Insp. Ramil Morpos.

Morpos, deputy chief of Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) of the Mandaue City police, said they are investigating the case further.