Good luck, MMDA tells Isabel Lopez for bagging TV, movie deals after Edsa stunt

Actress Maria Isabel Lopez does some explaining before Director Francis Almora of the Law Enforcement Service of the Land Transportation Office on Thursday. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) wishes beauty queen-actress Maria Isabel Lopez all the luck in the world after she supposedly hogged TV and movie deals following her intrusion into the lane designated for Asean delegates last week.

“Good for her. I wish her all good (sic) luck in the world,” Jojo Garcia, MMDA assistant general manager for planning, told reporters on Friday.

On her Facebook post, Lopez bragged that she received “too many offers” after she disregarded traffic signs along the southbound lane of Edsa last Saturday and tricked MMDA enforcers into thinking that she was an Asean delegate. Transport and security officials called her stunt a “serious security breach.”

Among the offers she supposedly received are “TV guestings, new soap, two new movies for 2018” and an “international film to be shot in Japan.”

“I’m booked guys till 2019… Bashers, why did you do this to me?” Lopez said.

The former beauty queen noted though that she hopes that MMDA traffic enforcers assigned that night in Mandaluyong City where she committed her violation “don’t lose their jobs as it’s food on their table.”

Garcia assured on Friday that no traffic enforcer would be penalized, since based on their investigation “there are no enforcers” deployed in that area.

“She just barged in [to the Asean lane],” Garcia said of Lopez.

The Land Transportation Office is currently studying the penalty to be imposed on Lopez. The MMDA earlier sought the agency to revoke Lopez’s license for reckless driving, disregarding traffic signs and violating the Anti-Distracted Driving Act.

According to Garcia, motorists who followed Lopez’s lead would also be charged with the same violations.

Lopez drew flak from authorities and netizens alike for being an undisciplined driver, especially that thousands of motorists stayed put despite being caught in hours-long traffic along Edsa.