MANILA, Philippines – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Monday, March 31, issued a show-cause order against the SUV driver and three motorcycle riders involved in the Antipolo road rage shooting.
This comes after the driver and riders got into a misunderstanding that led to a fistfight on Sunday, March 30, as seen in a video which circulated on social media. The SUV driver shot the riders with his gun, wounding his girlfriend in the process.
The SUV driver — a 28-year-old businessman from Quezon City — is facing charges of multiple frustrated homicide.
“Nakakalungkot ang ganitong pangyayari na hindi na natin binibigyan ng dignidad ang ating mga sarili, natalo pa natin ang mga bata na magsusuntukan agad sa gitna ng kalsada dahil sa bagay na puwede namang pag-pasensyahan,” LTO chief Vigor Mendoza said in a statement.
(This incident is so disappointing as we did not give ourselves any dignity, we are no better than children as we would immediately start a brawl in the middle of the road over things that could have been tolerated.)
The LTO-Intelligence and Investigation Division has been instructed to investigate and figure out what started the brawl.
In the meantime, the SUV driver’s license, along with one of the motorcycle riders’, has been suspended by the LTO for 90 days pending results of the probe. Their vehicles have also been “placed under alarm.”
Meanwhile, Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Cruz Santos said that the incident should have people reflecting on the consequences of uncontrolled anger, which “leaves lives shattered in its wake.”
“In times of frustration, let us seek the peace that comes through Him and the strength to respond with grace rather than fury,” Santos said in a separate statement on Monday.
“Traffic congestion and daily challenges may test our patience, yet these are opportunities to practice kindness and self-control,” he added.
The Bishop also prayed for the swift recovery of those injured during the incident.
The Antipolo Cathedral is also known as the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. – Rappler.com