The pizza delivery rider who was apprehended by Taguig traffic enforcers and marshals in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) for obstruction said he didn’t violate any traffic rules.
Ryan Borela, 23, was delivering a pizza on October 23 when he was given a traffic violation ticket by members of the Taguig Traffic Management Team (TMT) along 30th Street in BGC. The violation costs P500.
The incident has prompted the Taguig City government to launch an investigation “involving several members of the Traffic Management Team (TMT), some BGC marshals, and a motorcycle delivery rider. Pending the results of the probe, the operations of the TMT will remain suspended.”
Borela told Manila Bulletin that “hinuli nila ako ng walang violation (they apprehended me without any violation).”
“Ipinaliwanag ko po sa kanila na hindi po ako nag-illegal parking at hindi rin po ako bumaba sa motor ko. Halos sabay-sabay lang po kami nagdatingan doon. Bakit po nila ako titiketin halos sabay-sabay lang po kami nagdatingan doon (I explained to them that I didn’t commit illegal parking and I didn’t alight from my motorcycle. We all arrived there almost at the same time. Why would they give me a ticket when we all arrived there at the same time),” he said.
The Taguig City government launched a probe of the incident after a netizen posted on Facebook a video and photos of the apprehension.
A minimum wage earner, Borela said he is still a trainee at Angel’s Pizza and has been working for the company for four months.
As he was explaining to the traffic enforcers, he was told that “titingnan lang daw po ang lisensiya ko sabay ipinasa nya po yung lisensiya ko sa isang kasamahan nya. Yun na po yung naniket sa akin (he said he was only going to check my license then he passed it to his teammate who issued me a ticket).”
He said he went to the Taguig City government’s Traffic Management Office (TMO) on October 29 and he was asked by an investigator to come back on November 5 and present the CCTV footage of the incident showing that he and the traffic enforcers arrived at the area at the same time. Because of his work, Borela said, he is unable to get the CCTV footage from BGC.
His traffic violation ticket is set to expire today, October 30, but it was extended until November 9 because of the dispute and he was told not to redeem his license in the meantime.
Borela said he just wants to reclaim his license and clear his name, maintaining that he did not violate any traffic rules.
“Rest assured that the case will be dealt with squarely and fairly. Lapses will not be tolerated,” the Taguig City government said in a statement.