The number “7” protocol plate attached to the viral white sports utility vehicle (SUV) that illegally entered the EDSA Busway and tried to run over a lady enforcer is fake, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) said on Monday, Nov 4.
In a statement, the LTO said the initial investigation disclosed that there was no protocol plate, including the number 7 which is assigned to senators, issued to the type of SUV that was seen in the viral video.
“Similar to our active response to incidents reported by the public and those posted on social media, your Land Transportation Office (LTO) has already taken the initiative of looking into this viral video based on the report of our monitoring team,” the statement read.
“The initial information we have based on the assessment of the pieces of evidence at hand is that there was no protocol plate issued to the particular SUV that was seen in the viral video,” it added.
The LTO said they are now coordinating with the Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation of the Department of Transportation (DOTr-SAICT) for more information that could lead to the identification of the registered owner of the vehicle.
The coordination includes getting information on the two SAICT enforcers on the license plate or conduction sticker of the SUV, and other identifying marks, as they were the ones who approached the vehicle.
Based on the SAICT statement, the incident happened around 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 at the northbound lane portion of the EDSA Busway in Guadalupe, Makati.
A female SAICT enforcer tried to stop the vehicle after it entered the EDSA Busway but instead of cooperating, the driver tried to run her over and later put the vehicle on the reverse on the way to the exit point of the Busway.
As soon as it got out of the Busway, one of the passengers raised his hand and gave the enforcers a middle finger.
The LTO vowed to identify the registered owner and the driver of the vehicle. (Aaron Recuenco)
