The Land Transportation Office (LTO-7) is investigating another possible case of road rage after a Facebook post of one Patrick Iway Bitoy went viral on Wednesday.
Bitoy officially lodged his complaint yesterday against the driver of a Honda Civic with plate number YKG 837 who threatened to hurt him with his baseball bat and then allegedly tailed him all the way home after a heated road altercation.
Bitoy printed his FB account of the incident on a two-page bond paper and then submitted it to LTO-7 to serve as his official complaint.
Contacted by Cebu Daily News, LTO-7 operations chief Joel Maloloy-on said that he had yet to read the complaint filed by Bitoy.
“After reading the complaint, then our office will issue a subpoena. That is part of the process,” Maloloy-on said in a phone interview adding that his office still also has to identify Bitoy’s aggressor.
If Bitoy’s claims are proven, the driver of the Honda Civic will face reckless driving charges with his driver’s license suspended or revoked.
The viral post
Cebu Daily News tried to reach Bitoy through his Facebook account but to no avail.
Last July 26, Wednesday, Bitoy recalled in an FB post that while driving along Archbishop Reyes Street in Cebu City, a vehicle with plate number YKG 837 overtook him, almost hitting his car.
Bitoy, who is a real estate broker according to his FB profile, claimed that the driver “came out of nowhere who was driving fast.”
“As a natural reaction of almost getting caught in an accident, I honked my horn and turned my headlights on high for 2 to 3 seconds and that was it just to let him know that there was someone at his rear who he almost hit,” Bitoy said.
The driver instead responded by doing a series of break tests until they both reached the top of a flyover, claimed Bitoy.
“Unfortunately I don’t have a dash cam, I took my phone out and started recording as he was trying to provoke me with the loud noises of his car and his break tests,” Bitoy said.
A 54-second phone video taken by Bitoy of the incident shows the driver stopping his car in the middle of the flyover and then coming out of the vehicle with a baseball bat while shouting to Bitoy “Gago, patyon tika ron.” (Idiot, I will kill you.)
The young driver, possibly in his twenties, is seen wearing a white shirt and black shorts.
As of 3:30 p.m., Thursday, Bitoy’s Facebook post gained 2,571,869 views with more than 12,000 likes and 13,552 shares.
Heading home
Fearing that the driver would try to hit his car with the baseball bat or pull out a gun and start shooting, Bitoy said he then put his gear on reverse.
“Just wanted to avoid that big of a mess. Naglagot and nakuyawan nako (I was annoyed and also afraid), tried to remain calm, didn’t open my door or my window… continued recording and waited for him to move out of the way,” he said.
According to Bitoy, when he reached a stop light at the intersection of Archbishop Reyes Street and Gorordo Avenue, a taxi driver pulled beside him, opened the window and told him, “Ginaog pa to nimo sir, tabangan to natog kulata. Hambugiro kaayo.” (If you had gotten down, sir, I would have helped you beat him up. He was very arrogant.)
Bitoy further narrated that he failed to notice that the suspect’s vehicle had made a U-turn somewhere and was tailing him behind with his headlights set on high while making loud noises with his car.
“I was heading home, I was on a red light sa Capitol and there he was again… He followed me to Banawa and stopped when I went on a small road going to my place,” he added.
‘Alarmed’
Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection (LCSP) founder, lawyer Ariel Inton Jr., encouraged transport authorities in Cebu City to take immediate action.
“This should not be ignored and there must be an immediate action. It might influence other drivers and think that authorities are useless,” said Inton, also a former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) board member.
Inton was willing to extend legal help to Bitoy.
“Revoking the license is a light penalty. He should be subject into criminal prosecution,” Inton added. He was not contented and he followed. Matindi yan, naging stalker pa, (That’s grave, he even became a stalker),” Inton said.
Inton described the incident as a case of road rage, defined as when someone who manifests anger and frustration on the road tends to injure and threaten the life of another.
Motorists are advised to be patient especially when they are on the road.
“Patience is the better part of valor, either you are the victim or the assailant,” Inton said.
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