Senator: Stiffer penalty deterrent to road rage

CEBU, Philippines —  Following a series of road rage incidents, Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito believes that enacting a law imposing stiffer penalties for such offense may be a deterrent for such abuse.

“Do we need to impose higher penalties on this road rage because it (road rage incidents) is already increasing? We can craft (a piece of) legislation. Knowing that the penalties and fines are more severe acts for road rage, he (motorists) will think twice,” Ejercito said during an interview with Senate reporters via Zoom.

The Senate Committee on Public Order Chairman Sen. Ronald Bato dela Rosa is set to conduct a public hearing on Tuesday on the road rage incident in Quezon City involving a biker and a retired police officer, based on the privilege speech of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

Ejercito said the retired police officer Wilfredo Gonzales should be present during the hearing being the “principal character” in the incident, where he emerged from a red sedan, physically assaulted an unarmed cyclist, and threatened him further by drawing and cocking his gun.

The cyclist had earlier mentioned that he has no plans of pursuing any charges against Gonzales.

“I think he is the principal character here. I think he should really appear.  It (his presence) will be a big help in aid of legislation,” said Ejercito, who himself is a rider and biker.

Ejercito said road rage incidents happen as motorists do not know the road-sharing principle.

Bato, for his part, has lauded the PNP for revoking the firearms permit of the ex-cop involved in QC road rage incident.

Dela Rosa reminded authorized and licensed gun owners that the Permit to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence (PTCFOR) is a privilege given to individuals for their protection, but not to threaten people.

“Yung pagbigay sa’yo ng Permit to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence ng PNP ay ginagamit ‘yon pamproteksyon sa sarili mo, hindi panakot or panggawa ng aggressive actions against anybody. So tama lang ‘yung ginawa ng PNP na tanggalan siya ng lisensya ng baril at saka lahat ng mga permit sa baril na binigay sa kanya ay tinanggal sa kanya,” Dela Rosa said.

Brig. Gen. Paul Kenneth Lucas, the chief of the Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) Chief, in a video posted on the FEO’s Facebook page, said that Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Benjamin Acorda has ordered the FEO to immediately strip Gonzales of his License to Own and Possess Firearm (LTOPF), Firearm Registration (FR), and Permit to Carry Firearms Outside Residence (PTCFOR).

In the same video, Lucas also showed and identified the specific firearms that were seized from Gonzales including three .45-caliber handguns and one 9mm pistol.

“Hindi ‘yon katanggap-tanggap sa isang sibilisadong society. Hindi pupwede ‘yung gano’n. Gagamit ka kaagad ng baril. Hindi ‘yon karapat-dapat. Kahit na sabihin mo pantakot lang ‘yon, but still, napakalaki po ng impact no’n sa nakakita na bumunot ka ng baril, kumasa ka pa, kahit sabihin mo na ‘di mo tinutukan,” said Dela Rosa. — Philippine Star News Service/GAN