By: Anna Liza Villas-Alavaren
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has revoked the license of actress Maria Isabel Lopez for entering the designated lane for the delegates of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit last November 11.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) assistant general manager for planning Jojo Garcia said the LTO also barred Lopez from reapplying for a license for the next two years.
Aside from the revocation of her license, Garcia said Lopez was also ordered to pay a total of P8,000 for violating three traffic violations: Anti-Distracted Driving Act (ADDA) with a fine of R5,000; disregarding traffic sign with a penalty of R1,500 and reckless driving, R1,500.
Netizens had criticized Lopez after she posted a selfie and two videos on a social media site showing her swift drive along the ASEAN lane while the rest of EDSA was on a standstill.
She also bragged about how she removed the divider cones delineating the ASEAN lane from the lanes open to motorists and public utility vehicles.
In a resolution dated Nov. 23, Assistant Secretary and LTO chief Edgar Galvante said Lopez “expressly admitted her failure to meet the conditions concomitant with the grant of her license. The defenses she proffered are considered lame and merely self-serving.”
“Worse, she showed no remorse and even publicized with gusto her improper and illegal acts on social media, which betray her utter lack of responsibility as a licensed driver, thus making her an improper person to operate a motor vehicle,” Galvante cited.
The LTO resolution also noted that “a person with a driver’s license is likewise expected to give due consideration to other motorists and pedestrians and avoid committing acts which endanger lives, properties and public safety.