Another viral video making rounds in the internet is the one showing a motorist allegedly driving away without paying for a full tank of gas, echoing a similar event that happened in Quezon City last month that garnered a lot of attention.
This latest incident allegedly happened at a gas station along Maharlika Highway in Allacapan, Cagayan. The video further shows the pump attendant chasing the vehicle for a distance as the driver slows down to let him catch up but then speeds up whenever he gets too near.
But it all turned out to be a ruse; the person who filmed and posted the incident online, a former mayor, turned out to be the owner of the gas station. The person forced to chase his vehicle for quite a distance was another content creator who was in on the act. The reason they did so was the same cited by many bored netizens in the past who posted controversial videos: for da content.
The two thought that because everything was staged that they wouldn’t get in trouble. But the Land Transportation Office thinks otherwise and said the former mayor faces a lifetime driving ban.
The LTO can come up with whatever offense they think those who posted the video are responsible for, but for us we think that they committed an offense against common sense and decency.
For one, it seems to show how low some people will go just to get content to post online and gain attention and likes. Even something as ridiculous as making someone seem desperate enough to chase someone else for a distance.
Do they think Filipino audiences are that shallow? Perhaps it’s also best not to answer that question.
For another, it also seems to promote the idea that making fun of others is acceptable, even if the entire thing was scripted. And that posting such videos on the internet where others can also make fun of someone is acceptable.
No doubt the former mayor can learn something from what he did. It just so happens that the price to pay may be more than he can bear.