As another case of road rage supposedly involving a doctor continues to spread like wildfire on social media, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has reminded motorists to respect one another and, more importantly, keep their cool when on the road.
“Sa mga panahon po na tayo ay biglang ma-involve sa isang traffic incident, huwag po sanang pairalin ang init ng ulo at umabot pa sa punto na tayo ay makikipagmurahan, manlalait, o mananakit ng ating kapwa (If we find ourselves involved in traffic incidents, let’s not lose our temper and get to the point where we curse, belittle or hurt others),” the agency said.
According to the DOTr, the incident has already reached concerned agencies, while the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is set to call the man in the video in order for him to air his side of the incident.
A video posted on Facebook by Merly Paredes on Sunday showed how the suspect berated another driver at a gas station.
“Panoorin (niyo) ang isang mayaman lasing na driver at kung pan0 murahin ang isang kawani ng gobyerno at kayo humusga kung dapat ba nasa kalye ang mga ganitong klaseng tao. Porket mayaman ka lalaitin mo mga ordinaryong tao. May pag lalagyan ka sa ginawa mo, (Watch how a rich, drunk driver curses out a government employee. You decide if it’s right to have people like him on the road. Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you can treat ordinary people that way. You’ll get what’s coming to you),” Paredes wrote as a caption on the video.
Prior to this incident, the same man, was caught in another video in another road rage incident.
According to Pulo Eusebio, the same man berated him during a confrontation over a traffic argument.
“May isang kotse na habol nang habol na nagbubusina sya tapos pagbukas ko bintana kasi akala ko may sasabihin sya about sa kotse ko na may sira o may nakita sya na ano. Pagbukas ko ng bintana nagmumumura at nanghagis ng barya (A car was chasing after me and kept honking its horn. I thought he was going to tell me something about my car like there was something wrong. When I opened my window, he cursed at me and threw coins), ” Eusebio said.
“Sinasabihan pako na naka pickup lang ako, pulubi daw, mahirap, tiga kanto daw ako (He told me I was just in a pickup truck and that I was just a beggar),” he added.
Meanwhile, the DOTr also called on the Professional Regulation Commission and the Philippine Medical Association to act on the incident since the man in the video is said to be a doctor.
“Inuulit po namin ang paalala sa mga motorista na maging mahinahon at huwag daanin sa init ng ulo o sa antas ng pamumuhay kung sakaling masangkot sa isang traffic incident (We reiterate our reminder to motorists to keep calm and to never belittle anyone should they be involved in traffic incidents),” the agency said.
“Hangad natin ay isang lipunan kung saan pantay-pantay tayong susunod sa mga alituntunin at batas trapiko, at iginagalang natin ang karapatan at dignidad ng bawat isa (We aim for a society where we all obey traffic laws and we respect the rights and dignity of everyone),” it added.