BY: Chito A. Chavez
Actress and beauty queen Maria Isabel Lopez said that it was a lapse of judgment on her part when she entered the VIP lane reserved for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) delegates and even posted photos of her infraction on social media.
In yesterday’s hearing at the Land Transportation Office (LTO), a remorseful Lopez insisted that she entered the VIP lane after the MMDA constables on board a patrol vehicle failed to vividly explain when she inquired if it was okay to use the lane.
Instead of replying to her inquiry, Lopez said that the patrol vehicle just left without answering her questions, prompting her to decide to move the orange barrier after supposedly seeing other vehicles use the restricted lane to avoid the horrendous gridlock.
Lopez said that she was forced to use the VIP lane since her health regiment required her to drink lots of juice that makes her urinate frequently.
LTO law Enforcement Service Director Francis Ray Almora said Lopez’s claim may only be validated through the CCTV footage of the MMDA.
Lopez’ counsel came to the LTO office without any position paper to reply to the show cause order issued to the actress, saying that they needed more time to do so.
Almora, in the absence of the written reply, merely recorded Lopez’s verbal explanation with the condition that the same document be submitted up to November 17.
However, Almora said his office may give Lopez’s counsel one or two days of extension to submit a formal reply if needed.
After the submission of the written position paper, Almora said LTO chief Edgar Galvante may now decide what punishment or sanction to impose on Lopez.
“It is up for Asec Galvante to decide after we finish our investigation,’’ Almora said.
Almora said that Lopez may appeal the punishment – either suspension or revocation of her driver’s license – to Galvante.
In case Galvante rejects her appeal, Almora said Lopez’s last resort is to course her plea to President Duterte.
Lopez, however, pleaded that being a first time traffic offender, her punishment should be commensurate to her violations.