THREE Highway Patrol Group (HPG) personnel were relieved from their post over unauthorized use of the Edsa busway and for ordering traffic enforcers to halt operations during rush hour.
In an interview, HPG spokesperson Lieutenant Nadame Malang said they are already looking into the incident raised by the Department of Transportation-Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (DOTr-SAICT).
On February 7, a convoy led by two HPG motorcycle-riding personnel, which included a white van and another vehicle bearing a red license plate, was pulled over by SAICT enforcers along Ortigas Avenue for illegally using the bus lane.
DOTr-SAICT spokesperson Jonathan Gesmundo said on board the white van is a high-ranking police official. He said the two involved four-wheeled vehicles were also registered to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
While HPG riders were being issued with a citation ticket, another HPG personnel aboard an HPG-marked vehicle arrived and confronted SAICT enforcers, telling them that there was an order from chief PNP General Rommel Marbil to do away with conducting operations during rush hours to avoid causing more traffic.
Gesmundo clarified that the PNP had no authority to put a stop on their enforcement operations, as the busway was a DOTr project.
He said only Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista can issue such an order.
Malang said they are still investigating who was aboard the two other vehicles involved in the convoy, but it is "definitely not HPG Director Brigadier General Eleazar Matta."
He also maintained that there was no such order from the top cop and that his name had been unjustly associated with this matter.
“We assert that there was absolutely no intention to undermine the mandate of the Department of Transportation’s Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT) or to dictate the actions of its operatives. The suggestions made by the HPG officer, as captured in a video recorded without authorization -- presumably by a SAICT traffic enforcer -- were intended primarily to alleviate traffic congestion during rush hour. These statements reflect his personal views and do not represent the official stance of the HPG,” the HPG said.
“The PNP-HPG remains firmly committed to upholding the highest standards in the performance of its duties and responsibilities. This incident is both unfortunate and isolated, and we are implementing stringent measures to ensure that such occurrences do not happen again in the future. The PNP-HPG will not tolerate any actions that compromise the integrity of our institution or its leadership,” it added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)