The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday disowned a lady driver who claimed to be a military officer and niece of a general to avoid being cited for a traffic violation of using an exclusive bus lane in Makati City.
"She is not a member of the AFP," military spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said in a phone interview.
Padilla has once again underscored that "the AFP, as a professional organization, does not condone nor tolerate any behavior that undermines the integrity" of military institutions or violates the law.
"We take allegations of misconduct and misrepresentation seriously within our ranks," she noted.
Padilla said they are still waiting for the Department of Transportation-Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (DOTr-SAICT) to reach out to the AFP.
"The DOTr-SAICT has not yet coordinated with the proper AFP office regarding the issue and the identity of the violator," Padilla said.
"Whether or not she is a member of the military, she should be accountable for the violations she committed," she added.
To recall, the unidentified driver was onboard a black Toyota Fortuner SUV when she was apprehended around 6:35 p.m. on 11 April at the southbound lane of Guadalupe Carousel Station.
The personnel of DOTr-SAICT, along with the members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG), were manning the EDSA carousel when they caught an unidentified woman driving a black Toyota Fortuner SUV passing the southbound lane of Guadalupe Carousel Station around 6:35 p.m. on 11 April.
The lady driver, who claimed to be Major Miguel, was apprehended after being reported to the Metrobase for speeding in the exclusive carousel bus lane while heading towards Guadalupe from Ortigas.
She refused to give her license to the apprehending traffic officers and claimed that she is a military personnel and a member of the Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP).
She was trying to evade the apprehension by mentioning a certain Major General Mario Reyes as her uncle.
The incident was caught in a video by the DOTr-SAICT and went viral on social media pages.
