Sharon’s cousin faces threat rap

A cousin of television and movie star Sharon Cuneta who holds the position of Pasay City tricycle licensing division chief was accused yesterday of poking a gun at a tricycle driver.

Romy Cuneta, a nephew of the late Pasay City mayor Pablo Cuneta, is now facing a grave threat charge filed by Lamberto Pinlac, vice president of the Maricaban Tricycle Operators and Driver’s Association (MATODA).

According to Pinlac, Cuneta drew a gun and poked it at him about 9:20 a.m. yesterday, telling him: "Ano ba gusto mong mangyari (What do you want to happen)?"

Pinlac said a few minutes earlier, he chanced upon Cuneta’s group riding on a mini-van while he was on board his tricycle at the corner of Mariano and Tramo streets.

Pinlac said Cuneta’s vehicle began tailing him which prompted him to stop his tricycle and park it near a barangay hall.

While there, Pinlac said, Cuneta and his six companions surrounded and manhandled him.

The confrontation appears to be an offshoot of a simmering row between Cuneta and the tricycle drivers that culminated in a rally three weeks ago at the Pasay City Hall against Cuneta, sources said.

The tricycle drivers’ group has reportedly accused Cuneta of alleged corruption and asked Mayor Peewee Trinidad to replace him as head of the Tricycle and Pedicab Franchising Regulatory Office (TPFRO) .

But in an earlier interview, Trinidad challenged the group to instead file formal charges against Cuneta. The mayor noted that internal politics within the tricycle drivers’ group were behind the charges.

Pinlac, 33, of Maricaban, Pasay used to be the president of MATODA, which Cuneta once headed before being appointed TPFRO head. – Jose Aravilla