(Eagle News) — The couple who figured in a viral video arguing with Metropolitan Manila Development Authority commander Bong Nebrija and traffic enforcers who had only tried to issue a ticket to the woman for illegal parking has apologized.
“We would like to take this opportunity to apologize to the MMDA enforcers especially to Col. (Nebrija) and Constable Azures. We ask for your understanding as emotions got the best of us,” the woman said in a press conference on Wednesday, Aug. 15.
But according to Nebrija, charges for direct assault will still be filed.
Earlier in the day, the MMDA also asked the Land Transportation Authority to revoke the license of the woman who reportedly works as a prosecution lawyer at the Department of Justice.
According to the MMDA, it was also studying filing a complaint for disbarment against the woman, after she allegedly almost hit enforcers with her vehicle.
In a video posted online by Gadget Addict, MMDA enforcers were seen moving aside as the woman, who was told to move her car to the side of the road, sped up to move the vehicle to the other side of the street.
An MMDA enforcer later said that with the move, the lawyer had managed to hit an MMDA motorcycle.
Heated argument
Prior to this, several MMDA enforcers had tried to issue the lawyer a ticket for allegedly parking illegally on the road.
Once on the other side of the road, the woman, however, was seen cutting the MMDA enforcer off as he tried to explain why she was to be issued a ticket.
“Ano rule niyo prior to towing?” she repeatedly asked in a raised voice.
Nebrija then approached the woman, and calmly spoke to her.
“Sandali lang po. Mag-usap ho tayo ng maayos,” he said.
He then went on to explain the MMDA rules on towing.
Based on MMDA rules, owners of an unattended or illegally parked vehicle will be notified five times, then another five times after one minute so they could attend to the vehicle before they are towed.
If the car is attended, the driver will still be issued a ticket.
For the MMDA, the five-minute grace period began when enforcers got to the scene.
Refusal
But the lawyer refused to be issued a ticket as she said she attended to the vehicle five minutes after she was notified.
She also asked Nebrija in a raised voice: “Nag-time po ba kayo? Asan yung time?”
At this point, Nebrija asked the girl to give him her license.
To which she replied in a raised voice: “Why?”
Nebrija said: “We are trying to explain it to you, but you are shouting at us.”
She replied in an agitated voice: “I am not shouting at you. I am trying to explain my side.”
At this point, Nebrija calmly told the woman to file a complaint with the MMDA if she wanted to, but that they “need(ed) to complete the apprehension,” and that she needed to give her license.
“You’re not supposed to run away (from enforcers),” he added.
The woman still refused, and denied she ran away from the enforcers.
A fed up Nebrija then asked his men to call the tow truck to the scene.
When the tow truck arrived, the woman told the enforcers to remove the truck, and threatened to file charges against them if they did not.
At one point in the video, the woman’s husband appeared.
“Fiscal”
One enforcer explained what happened, after which the husband told the enforcers to just issue the ticket to the woman.
When the enforcer told the man his motorcycle was also hit by the woman, he angrily said the woman was pregnant, and that if something happened to his child, he would blame it on the enforcers.
At one point the man also said his wife was a “fiscal.”
“Baka makunan pa yung anak ko dahil sa pangstrestress ninyo e. Pag siya nakunan, kayo sisisihin ko..Pinapakiusapan ka ng matino..,” he said, accusing them of “harassing” her with the tow truck.
The enforcer tried to explain his side calmly, but the man kept on talking.
“Paano yung damage sa motor ko sir?” the enforcer said, as he pleaded that any one of the couple go to the police station with him for the police report.
The man said: “E kasi nga striness niyo e. Yung motor matatakbo yan e. E yung damage sa anak ko, pag nakunan yan? Pupunta kami ng ER ngayon pagkatapos. Dadalhin ko siya kasi dinudugo. Ticketan mo na (ng illegal parking), pag may nangyari sa asawa ko, Azures, sa iyo yan.”
The man handed over what appeared to be his wife’s license to the enforcer.
The enforcer pleaded with the husband, saying he had no money to pay for the damage on the motorcycle.
To which the man replied: “Nasira ba yung motor mo?..Uunahin ko pa ba motor mo bago makunan (siya)?”
“Pare pasensya ka na, dadalhin ko na sa ospital asawa ko,” he said, and then sped away.
