STAR columnist in traffic altercation

A STAR columnist nearly became another reckless bus driver’s victim and was reported to have poked a gun at a bus driver at the height of a traffic altercation along a busy intersection in EDSA, Quezon City yesterday morning.

Jarius Bondoc, who is also a dwIZ radio commentator, reportedly poked his caliber .45 pistol at Milo Calum, driver of a Mayamy passenger bus near the Kamuning-EDSA intersection at about 8 a.m. yesterday.

Initial traffic reports showed that Bondoc was reportedly enraged after his vehicle, a blue Isuzu pick-up, was nearly sideswiped by the bus driven by Calum at the intersection of EDSA-East Avenue in Quezon City.

Both vehicles, according to the report, were heading south on EDSA when the incident occurred.

According to reports, Calum is planning to file charges of grave threats against Bondoc.

In a telephone interview yesterday afternoon, Bondoc denied ever pointing a gun at Calum, saying that he was only forced to reach for his gun inside his clutch bag just to warn the driver not to do something silly.

"I was on my way to my radio show along with my wife when a passenger bus, coming from behind suddenly overtook us from the right going to left in the intersection of EDSA-East Avenue," Bondoc said.

In the process, Bondoc claimed, the speeding bus, nearly missed two more buses and two cars ahead of him.

"He nearly killed me, my wife and my driver. But it seems that the near vehicular smash-up was nothing to him," Bondoc said, referring to Calum’s reckless driving, as he did not only do it once but twice, overspeeding from East Avenue intersection to Kamuning.

Bondoc added that aside from him, five other car drivers gave chase to the passenger bus and upon reaching the intersection of Kamuning, he got off his vehicle and accosted Calum for his bad driving manners.

Bondoc said he was later joined by two traffic enforcers assigned in the area who asked for Calum’s driver’s license but he refused to hand it over. Instead, Bondoc claimed, he saw Calum reaching for a lead pipe.

"Because of this, I went back to my car and using my left hand, reached for my caliber .45 Colt inside my clutch bag just to warn him not to do something silly," Bondoc said.

Bondoc added that Calum only acceded to be taken to CPD Station 10, following the intervention of a policeman from the said police station.

"Since I would be late for my radio show, I left the police station with a plan to return to file formal charges against him. But as it turned out, ako pa pala ang inireklamo," the surprised Bondoc said. – Jaime Laude