By MINKA TIANGCO
An elderly traffic enforcer stood in front of a 10-wheel truck to stop the driver he was accosting yesterday morning on Samson Road in Caloocan City.
Police Lt. Col. Ferdinand del Rosario, Caloocan assistant chief of police for administration, said Romel Cabillos, the 32-year-old truck driver from Bacoor City, Cavite, was flagged down by 61-year-old Jesus Paulite of Sta. Maria, Bulacan.
When Cabillos refused to stop, Paulite went in front of the truck to prevent the suspect from fleeing.
The driver tried to scare Paulite by moving the truck inch by inch, but the traffic enforcer stood his ground.
Then the unthinkable happened. Cabillos ran over the victim whose skull was crushed by the sheer weight of the vehicle.
Paulite died on the spot.
The incident happened during rush hour at 7:50 a.m.
Police found Cabillos still seated inside the truck and promptly arrested the suspect.
Trucks are barred on Samson Road but the truck helper admitted they earlier bribed two traffic enforcers R500 each to use the road.
The incident shocked witnesses and brought to the fore the dangers face by traffic enforcers.
Del Rosario said murder charges are being prepared against Cabillos while they try to determine the identities of the two traffic enforcers who accepted bribes.
The two enforcers face corruption charges for allowing the truck to use the road on its way to the Bonifacio Monument Circle, also known as Monumento.
