Councilor accused of punching jeepney conductor

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

A PUBLIC utility jeepney (PUJ) conductor filed a complaint before police authorities after he was allegedly punched and slapped by City Councilor Alden Bacal at the West-Bound Terminal in Barangay Bulua on Monday.

John Llegaria told police at the Bulua Police Station how Bacal slapped him, which was allegedly witnessed by several people in the area.

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Llegaria is a conductor of a Patag Liner (KVF-271) driven by Michael Habiguero.

Habiguero accompanied Llegaria to the Bulua Police Station to report the incident.

But Bacal denied Llegaria’s allegation, saying that he only scolded the conductor for traffic violation after they picked up a passenger at the “no loading and unloading” area.

“They stopped in the middle of the road and when they were scolded, they only said ‘wait, we still have passengers!’ Is that right?” Bacal told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.

Bacal said he then texted the traffic enforcer assigned at the West-Bound Terminal and instructed to hold the said PUJ for committing violation.

The traffic enforcer from the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) issued “citation ticket” to Habiguero and instructed them to wait for Bacal.

Bacal said after talking to the driver, he then looked for Llegaria and scolded him for being arrogant.

Llegaria and Habiguero both admitted they committed the said traffic violation.

“I am not the law and I am not even the enforcer of the law; more so that I will not take the law in my hands because a sin cannot be expunged by committing another sin. In general, they reversed the original situation,” Bacal said.

Though he insisted that Bacal slapped him, Llegaria said he will not pursue the filing of charges against the former, citing financial constraints.

It was learned that Habiguero has already been arrested five times for the same violation.