Torre apologizes for use of busway, fake plate

MANILA, Philippines — Metropolitan Manila Development Authority general manager Nicolas Torre III apologized yesterday for using the EDSA busway and a counterfeit plate for the apprehended MMDA patrol vehicle.

Torre confirmed over ABS-CBN that he was aboard the vehicle when it traversed the busway, but denied operating the car when it was recorded by a netizen.

He said it was a personal vehicle that he customized for operational purposes.

“It’s an official vehicle installed with a siren and blinker, which, by the way, I paid the fines for due to lack of authorization,” Torre said.
“I want to make it seem like an official (car), like part of my uniform. So when I intervene in an incident, I’m in an official vehicle.”

According to Torre, the patrol car was actually an armored vehicle worth P3.5 million that he purchased from the Metropolitan Bible Baptist church on Facebook Marketplace.

He said he brought the vehicle with him when he was appointed to the MMDA, after retiring as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“It is an armored vehicle because there are threats. It’s like part of my security requirements. Rather than wait for the government to prepare for me an armored vehicle, I had to have a car that I can use for inspections,” Torre said.

He added that he had just completed payment for the vehicle using his accrued leaves from the PNP – the reason why vehicle ownership had not yet been transferred to his name.

Torre also confirmed that he had the plate number of his patrol car copied from an unused MMDA truck.

“My mistake was that I went for a shortcut. Instead of asking for a replacement plate, I copied the numbers and had it made somewhere. I also paid a fine for that,” Torre said.

“I apologize to the people. To those who are disappointed with me, I’m really, really sorry for that. Hopefully, there are a lot of lessons to learn from here,” he added.