The Philippine National Police (PNP) launched a manhunt Monday for the driver of a white SUV involved in a weekend hit-and-run that injured a Highway Patrol Group officer along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).
PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. ordered the highway patrol to coordinate with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to track down the motorist and file criminal charges.
“This kind of behavior has no place on the road,” Nartatez said. “I am confident that the driver will be identified and be held responsible for the reckless driving that almost cost the life of a policeman.”
To recall, the collision occurred Saturday near the San Pedro exit of the tollway, commonly known as SLEX, and was captured on a witness’ dashcam.
The video, which went viral online, shows Patrolman Jeric Aya-ay riding a police motorcycle in the leftmost overtaking lane when a speeding SUV suddenly accelerated, swerved from the third lane and struck him from behind.
The impact caused Aya-ay to crash, throwing him to the pavement while his motorcycle tumbled down the highway. The SUV driver failed to stop and immediately fled the scene.
“I was blindsided; the sound behind me was so loud,” Aya-ay said during a news briefing Monday at Camp Crame. “I was already falling, so I couldn’t note the details of the vehicle or avoid it.”
Aya-ay, who was on his way to work, said he had no prior altercation or road confrontation with the driver before the collision.
After regaining his footing, he immediately scrambled to warn approaching traffic because he had fallen into the fast lane.
Brig. Gen. Rommel Batangan, director of the Highway Patrol Group, said an initial verification with the LTO revealed the license plate and conduction sticker captured in the footage do not match any existing government records.
“There was a plate number on the vehicle involved, but it has no records,” Batangan said. “That means the vehicle involved used a fake plate number.”
Batangan said investigators are working with the police Anti-Cybercrime Group to enhance the video resolution to confirm the exact model of the vehicle, which appears to be a Jetour SUV. Investigators are also tracing the vehicle’s route through tollway exit logs.
Batangan cited that while the collision may have occurred because both riders were caught in each other’s blind spots, the driver’s subsequent escape constitutes a severe crime.
“Whether it was a blind spot, intentional or not, the driver should have stopped after the incident,” Batangan said. “Instead, we see him swerving away as if nothing happened.”
Once identified, the driver faces criminal charges of reckless imprudence resulting in physical injuries and damage to property, as well as falsification of public documents if the license plate is proven fake.
