Taxi driver in hot water for bribing cops

If you have been apprehended for making a traffic violation, don't make the second mistake of trying to bribe your apprehending officer.

Ronald Castro, 33, of barangay Quiot, was not only arrested for violating a provision of the Transportation and Traffic Code, but also for trying to bribe the policemen who arrested him.

P01s Junicar Estinoso and Rommel Mendiola handcuffed Castro after he tried to bribe them with P50 not to arrest him for obstructing the flow of traffic along General Maxilom Avenue near Mango Square last August 24 around 1 p.m.

The two policemen, members of the Mobile Patrol Group, spotted the taxicab driven by Castro parked at the middle of the road alongside another parked vehicle.

"Imbis P100 ra unta to'y iyang multa, nangita g'yod siya og laing problema. Midaku na nuon kay gikiha na man siya og corruption of public officials," a traffic official said.

If convicted, he faces a jail term of at least a month and a day up to four months.

Some drivers prefer to bribe traffic enforcers so their vehicle will not be confiscated. Otherwise they have to go through the trouble of claiming them at the traffic violations bureau and possibly paying for more violations that are found in their record. - Rene U. Borromeo/BRP