‘Another one’ & another & another...

After sending out my column “Presumed Guilty Until You Settle,” our Opinion section editor Doreen Yu sent a message and titled it “another one.” Doreen was referring to a similar vehicular accident, this one in Cebu City as reported by ABS-CBN online. Allow me to print the report in order to provide context:

“CCTV footage of the incident showed both vehicles were traveling at high speed and collided head-on. The motorcycle swerved left to bypass (overtake) another motorcycle in front. Upon reaching at a certain point, he collided head on while the car was just running straight on his lane, on (the) opposite direction,” Police Lt. Christian Torres, spokesperson for the Lapu-Lapu City Police, said.

“The impact caused the motorcycle driver to be thrown to the ground, sustained severe injuries and was immediately taken to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

“The car driver will face charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and damage to property.”

While doing my research on the subject, a DOTr employee shared his experience in a barangay in Angono, Rizal where he was making a proper U-turn when a motorcycle rider slammed into the rear of his car. At the nearby barangay, he was told that he was responsible for the accident and should just settle with the motorcycle rider who hit him from behind.

This is an example of bias among many law enforcers and traffic enforcers, many of whom own and ride motorcycles and are sympathetic to people of the same economic class as they are.

Here’s another. A motorist was driving along a main road between Talisay and Tanauan City, Batangas when an oncoming motorcycle was doing high speed zigzags. The car owner tried to avoid the drunk rider by staying on the right most lane, but it did not help because the rider had reached such a high speed, flew off his bike and slid right under the car.

The car owner was also charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and detained as his traumatized children watched. Fortunately for him, a couple of influential individuals managed to get the mayor to step in and ordered the release of the innocent driver, who still had to make a donation for burial expenses.

Ever