Former Office of the Vice President (OVP) spokesman Barry Gutierrez criticized Senator Joel Villanueva for his “disappointing take” on the recent issue of a sport utility vehicle that used the EDSA busway and illegally had a protocol plate 7.

(From left) Senator Joel Villanueva and former vice presidential spokesman Barry Gutierrez (Senate of the Philippines, OVP photos)

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the former Akbayan lawmaker reminded Villanueva, who was a close friend of the late former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, of his administration’s “no wang-wang policy.”

“This is a disappointing take. Hindi ba ‘national news’ naman talaga dapat ang ganitong klaseng abuso (Shouldn’t this kind of abuse be really considered ‘national news’)?,” he asked on X.

In a media interview, Villanueva seemed to be puzzled why the issue of the SUV passing through the EDSA busway and using a supposedly “fake” protocol plate 7 became national news.

“Pinagbawal ni PNoy ang wang-wang para ilinaw na mataas man na opisyal kailangang sumunod sa batas trapiko; para itigil ang ganitong abuso (PNoy prohibited wang-wang to show that even high-ranking officials need to follow traffic rules; to stop this kind of abuse),” Gutierrez wrote.

“Sana di ito makalimutan ni Sen (Hopefully, Sen. does not forget about this),” he added.

During his term, Aquino implemented the “no wang-wang policy,” which sought to prohibit government and elected officials from using sirens, blinkers, and other similar devices to get through traffic.

Villanueva served as Technical Education and Skills Development Authority(TESDA) head during the Aquino administration, and had always been vocal about how he considered the former president a “mentor” and “brother.”

Last week, a Cadillac Escalade bearing a “fake” protocol plate 7 did not only pass through the EDSA busway but also tried to run over a traffic enforcer when it was flagged down along the busway’s lane in Guadalupe, Makati City.

It was revealed later on that the SUV was registered under Orient Pacific Corp., the president of which was identified as Kenneth Gatchalian, brother of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.

Gatchalian already denied involvement in the EDSA busway fiasco and denied any connections to the Orient Pacific Corp. He also clarified that his own protocol plate 7, which is officially issued to senators, is installed in his car and duly registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO).