LTO to decide motorist-cabbie case in January

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will decide in January next year whether to suspend or not the license of the motorist who allegedly hit a taxi driver during a traffic altercation in Quezon City last week.

Francis Ray Almora, head of the LTO’s law enforcement service, said they have submitted for resolution the case of Cherish Sharmaine Interior, whose license taxi driver Virgilio Doctor wanted to be revoked for her supposed “uncontrollable temper.”

Citing “security and safety” concerns, Interior did not attend the LTO’s hearing of her case yesterday, but stressed in a position paper her camp submitted that she “never stopped or physically hurt” Doctor.

“She only pointed her finger at him when she extended her hand inside the window of the taxi,” the statement read.

Last week, Interior and Doctor filed cases of unjust vexation and slight physical injuries against each other after their traffic altercation along Congressional Avenue in Barangay Bahay Toro. A portion of the incident was caught by a bystander on video, which has since gone viral.

In that video, Interior supposedly hit Doctor in the face. Doctor, a stroke survivor, was later seen walking with a limp and headed toward the curb. He told authorities that he did this so people could attend to him should he fall unconscious.

Interior stressed that prior to their altercation, it was in fact Doctor who was “driving recklessly” and that she was “merely trying to avoid any harm that may befall to her and her family, especially her minor children, due to the imprudent driving” of Doctor.

“[Her] reaction … is but a natural reaction of a person who is trying to protect her children from possible harm and injury,” Interior’s camp said.

The taxi and Interior’s car, though, did not collide  prior to the altercation.

Meanwhile, Doctor underwent a physical checkup on Wednesday to determine if he would still be still fit to drive.