Actress Maria Isabel Lopez posted a selfie and videos of her using the designated Asean lane without permission. (Photo from her Facebook account)
“We will not allow someone like her to simply put our plans to naught.”
This was the message of Undersecretary Catalino Cuy, officer in chage of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, to actress Maria Isabel Lopez who used the reserved lane for the delegates of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit.
Cuy, who chairs the Asean Committee on Security, Peace and Order and Emergency Preparedness and Response (CSPOEPR), also warned the public against defying the traffic plans for the summit.
“As a public figure, Ms. Lopez must be mindful of the impacts of her actions,” Cuy said in a statement on Sunday. “We tirelessly remind the people that traffic rules are created to save lives and put an order in the management of the traffic flow, especially now that we are hosting the Asean Summit.”
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Miro, chair of the Asean Technical Working Group on Traffic Management, said Lopez’s “misbehavior‘ would be dealt with accordingly by authorities.
He said an investigation would be conducted and if warranted, appropriate charges – including the possibility of citing her for traffic violation for disregarding traffic signs – would be filed against Lopez.
“The law must be applied to everyone, whether you are an ordinary Filipino or a public figure like Ms. Lopez” Miro said.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Lopez said she removed divider cones and drove through the Asean lane, which other motorists behind her followed.
READ: Actress Maria Isabel Lopez draws flak for using Asean lane
Celine Pialago, spokesperson of the Metropolitan Manila Development authority (MMDA), said they would recommend the suspension or cancellation of Lopez’s license. /atm