THE PNP-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) yesterday said it has launched an investigation into the production of fake protocol plates bearing the number 8, which are reserved for members of the House of Representatives.
The HPG initiated the probe after a recent road rage incident outside a fast-food restaurant in Quezon City, where the driver of a sports utility vehicle was involved in a traffic altercation.
The unidentified driver alighted from his vehicle, approached another SUV vehicle and threatened to shoot its driver. This incident was captured on a video that went viral on social media.
The driver later returned to his vehicle, bearing the plate number 8, and sped off.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said the plate number on the SUV appears “to be fake” because it lacks security features. He added the House of Representative strongly condemns the use of fake plate numbers.
“We have an ongoing verification effort so that our intelligence officers within the HPG will be able to identify (the people behind) the production of these fake plates,” said HPG spokesman Lt. Nadame Malang.
Malan said the public will be kept informed once the HPG achieves a breakthrough in the investigation.
“Our investigators are also conducting an investigation to identify the person in the video that spread on social media,” said Malang, who declined to provide additional details so as not to compromise the ongoing investigation.
