A SIMPLE traffic violation on Epifanio delos Santos Ave. (EDSA) has started to take on the character of an international diplomatic issue, all because the offending driver of an SUV, an American employed at the US Embassy, falsely accused Filipino traffic enforcers of trying to steal US diplomatic material.
The Department of Transportation said members of its Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT) on Friday pulled over the black SUV for using the EDCA Carousel near the Ortigas Avenue station.
The SUV driver, when asked for a driver’s license, showed only his passport which was photographed by the apprehending officer using a cell phone. SAICT said the vehicle’s passenger “challenged the photo-taking of the passport, claiming it was illegal and demanded the image be deleted.”
`… the traffic offender who used the EDSA Bus Lane illegally should pay the fine and undergo whatever disciplinary measures are imposed on similar offenders, whether Filipino or foreigner.’
A six-minute video uploaded by SAICT on its Facebook page showed the American passenger scolding SAICT enforcers, accusing them of “threatening to steal US diplomatic material,” referring to the driver’s passport. In the footage, the passenger remarked that the officer “might sell the picture of the passport to Chinese spies.”
The American passenger’s behavior was simply abhorrent, especially when he asked that the apprehending traffic officer speak to a police general to resolve the issue before it escalated to embassy level.
Diplomats are not authorized to use the EDSA bus lane which is reserved for city buses, emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks, and convoys of the President, Vice President, Senate President, House Speaker and Chief Justice.
Violators could be fined P5,000 to P30,000 and risk the cancellation of driver’s license.
According to SAICT, the apprehension was legitimate and that “basic information was needed in issuing the TOP,” referring to a temporary operator’s permit.
The embassy, in a statement, said it “instructs all staff to obey Philippine laws, including traffic regulations,” without reference to any apology or explanation on what happened.
But this is not the end of it. The Chinese embassy in Manila expressed dismay over the US embassy staff member’s invoking a “Chinese spy” narrative.
“We have noted reports of the incident and are deeply shocked and concerned about the relevant baseless accusations against China and the so-called ‘Chinese spy’ narrative,” the Chinese embassy said in a statement.
The Chinese officials are within their rights to demand that the local traffic authorities release the final results of their investigation.
Meanwhile, the traffic offender who used the EDSA Bus Lane illegally should pay the fine and undergo whatever disciplinary measures are imposed on similar offenders, whether Filipino or foreigner.
Our traffic laws and other ordinances will have to be implemented strictly so that violators who are mostly government officials or close to positions in power learn the hard way to respect them.
This American diplomatic employee displayed not only a condescending attitude to our traffic authorities but also arrogance and racist bias which are anathema in the diplomatic community, and even in civilized society.
