EDITORIAL — A slap on the wrist

Last weekend, a Sports Utility Vehicle was caught illegally passing through the EDSA bus lane, the lanes assigned exclusive to bus carousels traversing that avenue.

While the SUV had the protocol plate number 7 indicating that the vehicle belonged to a senator, it was still illegal for it to be in the bus lane and so traffic enforcer Sarah Barnachea decided to approach the vehicle to confirm who was inside.

Not only did the SUV driver try to flee, he hit Barnachea as he tried to escape and flashed her the finger before driving off.

Now the driver, Angelito Edpan, has appeared before the press remorseful for his actions, saying he never meant to do everything that he did.

“Ako po ay nandito tungkol sa nangyari noong November 3 sa EDSA. Ako po ay nagkasala sa paglabag sa regulasyon ng batas. Ako po ay humihingi ng pasensya. Hindi ko po gusto ang ginawa ko…Hindi ko po ninais na makasakit sa enforcer na pumara sa'kin,” he said.

It was later found that the SUV is owned by Orient Pacific Corp., a company being managed by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian’s father, William, and his brother Kenneth. A senator has now proposed a probe into how the SUV was able to acquire the protocol plate. The company has also vowed their own investigation into this.

What did Edpan get for all this trouble? He was ticketed ?5,000 for the illegal use of the protocol plate, ?2,000 for reckless driving, ?1,000 for failure to attach the plate, and ?1,000 for disregard of traffic signs. There was no mention of his driver’s license getting suspended despite the gravity of his offenses in hitting Barnachea and his show of disrespect to a traffic officer.

So yes, he got off with practically a slap on the wrist.

He got off too easily. Abusive drivers can make good examples to show that we mean business when we punish motorists for traffic violations. Authorities missed a good chance to set a good example here where penalties are concerned.