Malapitan scored for abusing ‘8’ car plate privilege

Sources close to Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri yesterday scored Caloocan District 1 Rep. Oscar Malapitan (UNO) for allegedly abusing the use of what had become controversial “8” car plates.  

An issue that had been swept under the rug, the brouhaha over the use, or abuse of the number “8” car plates resurfaced when a Nissan X-trail, allegedly belonging to the congressman and sporting the “8” plate, figured in an accident in Quezon City over the weekend that resulted to the death of a security guard and injury to another person.

Killed was security guard Marbet Raz while a Romy Rivera was hurt.

A statement released by the city hall public information office said the congressman’s vehicle at the time of the incident was not driven by Malapitan or by his official driver but by Jason Bautista, husband of Sharon Malapitan Bautista and the congressman’s son-in-law. The statement said the case did not prosper as the family of the victims reportedly agreed to an out-of-court settlement with Malapitan’s camp.

Malapitan did not return calls made by this paper in a bid to get his side on the issue.

Rep. Bienvenido Abante called on the House of Representatives and Land Transportation Office to enforce stricter measures in issuing protocol Plate No. 8 to house members after Malapitan’s vehicle with “8” plates figured in the accident. Abante said Congress and the LTO should enforce a stricter and updated listing on the issuance of the privilege plates that have become prone to abuse.

“Congress must have an accurate listing of those being issued with the 8 plate and must be properly identified.  There should be proper ID on the plate as to the district he is representing,” said Abante, House committee on public information.

Related to this, House Speaker Prospero Nograles also criticized LTO chief Alberto Suansing for dragging his name in the continuing abuses of these special plates by members of Congress.

The LTO chief had hinted that traffic enforcers are usually hesitant to enforce regulations on vehicles with the number “8” plate for fear that Congress would cut back their office budget.

Nograles said Suansing should not wait for his “go-signal” to implement an LTO crackdown on the privilege plates.