Vice President Sara Duterte has refuted claims that a traffic disruption on Commonwealth Avenue, as shown on a viral video, was caused by her convoy.
The video circulated on social media on October 5. The unnamed person taking the footage approached a Quezon City Police District (QCPD) officer at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Tandang Sora Avenue to ask why traffic was being held up.
“May dadaan po tayong VIP,” said the officer. Pressed to disclose who it was, he added, “Si VP. Saglit lang po, dadaan lang, ko-cross lang po.”
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After which, the person turned to the motorists behind and said, “Si VP Sara, tatawid, kaya tumigil muna tayo.”
Watch the video below:
Commonwealth Avenue traffic disruption allegedly caused by Vice Presidential convoy
Duterte, through the Office of the Vice President (OVP), issued a statement saying she was in fact in Mindanao for World Teacher’s Day. The OVP also attached a copy of a letter addressed to the QCPD and signed by Duterte.
“I want to emphasize that neither I nor my office ever made any request for assistance from the QCPD to orchestrate such an action,” the letter stated. “The claims in the video are not only misleading but also outright false. I strongly condemn any actions that disrupt the daily lives and well-being of our fellow citizens. My commitment to ensuring the welfare and convenience of the Filipino people remains unwavering.
“In light of this situation, I call upon the QCPD to investigate this incident and hold those responsible accountable for their actions. Furthermore, I urge the QCPD to rectify this falsehood and publicly state the real reason of the road closure, including naming the supposed VIP who requested such action. Lastly, I request the subject police officer and the QCPD District Director to issue a public apology to all who have been inconvenienced by this deception.”
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Meanwhile, the QCPD has also released a statement, saying “the said incident stemmed from a confusion and lapse in judgement of our policeman manning the traffic during that time.
“It appears that our policeman overreacted when he stopped the traffic for a few minutes, because of misleading information he overheard.
“Accordingly, Sgt. Pantollano mistakenly heard the word VP, hence, he decided to clear the traffic as a sign of courtesy and security, where in fact, based on records, VP Sara Duterte has no engagement in that particular area.”
QCPD Police Station 14 commander P. Lt. Col. May Genio added: “Pero kung papanoorin po natin ang video, yung uploader ang nagbanggit ng pangalan na VP Sara.
“I have ordered the relief of my policeman and put him under investigation to determine administrative liability for his actions. We assure the public that this incident will not happen again.”
VP Sara Duterte’s statement on viral Commonwealth Avenue video:
