MMDA man in hit-and-run case dies

Sonny Acosta

The Quezon City police is considering upgrading to homicide or murder the case it filed against the driver of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) who trapped the hand of a traffic enforcer and dragged him for several meters on Edsa after the victim died of his injuries.

Sonny Acosta, a 38-year-old traffic constable of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), passed away at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Luke’s Medical Center Quezon City.

Senior Supt. Joel Pagdilao, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director, said in an interview that due to Acosta’s death, they were mulling amending the case they filed earlier against Mark Ian Libunao, the driver of the Isuzu Sportivo which allegedly dragged Acosta on Edsa-Cubao for several meters.

“We are discussing if we should amend the case filed [in the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office] to reckless imprudence resulting in homicide or if this can be filed as a murder case,” Pagdilao told reporters.

Initially, the QCPD and MMDA filed a charge of reckless imprudence resulting in serious physical injuries and driving with an expired license against Libunao, a 35-year-old family driver.

Pagdilao said the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit and District Traffic Enforcement Unit were coordinating with each other on the possible amendment of the case against the suspect.

It will be up to the investigating prosecutor, however, to decide what charge will finally be filed in court.

Pagdilao said some elements of murder may be present in the circumstances behind the incident, considering that the Isuzu Sportivo had stopped in the provincial bus lane when Acosta

ACOSTA was found bloodied and lying on the ground by other coworkers who took him to the hospital. Contributed photo

accosted its driver.

“The vehicle was parked when the enforcer flagged him down. The vehicle dragged him instead and ran over the enforcer. It is possible that the vehicle was used as an instrument in killing him, like a gun or a knife,” he explained.

Acosta was directing traffic on Edsa-Cubao on Dec. 19 when he flagged down Libunao for being in the lane for provincial buses.

As the traffic constable was asking for his license, the suspect allegedly closed his window, trapping the victim’s hand, before speeding off and escaping. Other MMDA enforcers found the bloodied Acosta on the ground moments later.

He was brought to the hospital where he was confined in the intensive care unit due to serious head injuries.

Upon his arrest, Libunao denied the allegations against him as he asked for a copy of any footage taken by closed circuit television cameras in the area.

Emerson Carlos, MMDA assistant general manager, said in a television interview that as far as the MMDA was concerned, the agency had no footage of the incident.

Meanwhile, MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino said that Acosta died due to “traumatic brain injuries.”

“We are saddened by the demise of MMDA traffic constable Sonny Acosta who was mercilessly hit and dragged by a motorist while performing his traffic duties on Edsa,” Tolentino said in a statement.

ACOSTA was found bloodied and lying on the ground by other coworkers who took him to the hospital. Contributed photo

He decried what he described as the “pattern of wanton disregard for traffic laws and persons in authority” which, according to him, “should be halted collectively by our society.”

“Respect for each other should be the norm,” Tolentino stressed.

“We shall continue to assist Sonny’s family [in seeking] justice as our traffic officers perform their duties with dignity,” he said, telling the Inquirer that the aid would be both financial and legal.

At the same time, Tolentino urged “other witnesses to appear and support the quest for justice amid alleged attempts to mislead the path of the case.”

“We pray for the eternal repose of Sonny’s soul. This should be the last case of this nature. Let us respect each other. Let us respect the law,” the MMDA chair said. With Kristine Felisse Mangunay