The driver of a luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV) Cadillac Escalade with a senator’s protocol plate, who illegally drove on the EDSA busway on Sunday, November 3, has turned himself in to the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
In a press conference on Wednesday, November 6, LTO Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said the SUV’s driver at the time, Angelito Edpan, was an employee of Orient Pacific Corporation, which owns the involved vehicle.
“Today I would like to announce that the mystery behind the ownership and the people behind the controversial SUV with a number 7 protocol plate on the EDSA busway is already solved,” Mendoza said.
“The driver and the registered owner of the SUV contacted us yesterday and informed us that they would show up and take responsibility for the unfortunate incident at Guadalupe, Makati,” Mendoza added.
Mendoza said Edpan was facing a total of P9,000 fine because of multiple violations. He was ticketed P5,000 for the illegal use of the protocol plate; P2,000 for “reckless driving”; P1,000 for failure to attach the regular plate; and another P1,000 for disregarding traffic signs.
Edpan and Orient Pacific Corporation director Omar Guinomla, for their part, apologized for the Nov. 3 traffic violation that went viral on social media.
“Ako po ay nagkasala sa paglabag sa regulasyon na pumasok po ako sa EDSA [Busway]… Ako po ay humihingi ng pasensya… Hindi ko po ninais na makasakit sa enforcer na pumara sa akin,” Edpan said.
“Our group came here to apologize to LTO and sa mga principals because of the incident. That’s our main purpose that’s why we are here,” Guinomla also said, adding that the company will cooperate with the investigation.
The LTO previously stated that no senator had a registered Cadillac Escalade like the one that unlawfully used the EDSA busway.
When asked how the corporation acquired a number 7 plate, which is reserved for senators, Guinomla said that the company is conducting an internal investigation on the matter.
Orient Pacific Corp.’s lawyer, Maria Julieta Santos, said they could not confirm the names of the directors and stockholders who are linked to any public figure.
According to the Department of Transportation’s Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation, its secretariat, Sarah Barnachea, spotted the SUV while helping buses move forward.
She approached the vehicle to apprehend the driver and verify their identity. However, instead of cooperating, the driver attempted to run over Barnachea and flee the scene.
The EDSA Busway is designated exclusively for bus carousels traveling along the major thoroughfare. (TCSP)
