Politicians just can’t stop using the EDSA carousel busway. On Sunday, February 9, GMA News reported that a convoy linked to former Senator Manny Pacquiao was caught illegally using the busway.
The Department of Transportation Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (DOTr-SAICT) said that its enforcers apprehended two vehicles occupied by Pacquiao’s security detail. According to DOTr-SAICT, the blinkers and sirens on the apprehended vehicles were unauthorized.
Jojo Cagumay, head of Pacquiao’s security, said that he reprimanded the driver and instructed him to accept the ticket given by the enforcers. “After being stopped, the driver left instead of complying with authorities. This was a mistake, and we take full responsibility,” said Cagumay in a statement. According to him, Pacquiao was unaware of the incident.
On Friday, February 7, vehicles linked to the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) were also caught using the busway. The DOTr-SAICT said that PNP-HPG officials in the convoy had asked enforcement officers for leniency. DOTr-SAICT spokesperson Jonathan Gesmundo added, “Minumura pa nga yung enforcer na parang sinasabi na taga-traffic lang naman kayo e.”
The DOTr-SAICT were also reportedly told to stop their operations. The order allegedly came from PNP Chief Police General Rommel Marbil, but the DOTr-SAICT clarified that they can only take orders from DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista.
EDSA Busway as V.I.P. Lane?
On January 23, the convoy of Quezon City Representative Ralph Tulfo, son of Senator Raffy Tulfo, was also apprehended for using the EDSA busway. Tulfo was fined P5,000 for the traffic violation, The Philippine Star reports.
Other previous illegal uses of the busway by a politician include Senator Chiz Escudero and former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson in April 2024, according to reports from Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Philippine News Agency also reported that Senator Bong Revilla’s name was dropped in a similar case in November 2023, but Revilla denied his involvement.
The Philippine News Agency also reports that in November 2024, DOTr-SAICT officers reported seeing a white van with the plate number 7 — the protocol plate for senators — using the busway. The car’s owner remains unidentified, though the Land Transportation Office has told Escudero that the protocol plate was a fake, GMA News reports.
Since November 2023, only the vehicles of the president, vice president, senate president, house speaker, and chief justice of the Supreme Court have been permitted to use the EDSA busway. Escudero’s incident came before he was appointed senate president in May 2024.
The busway is reserved for EDSA carousel buses that make trips between Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) and Monumento, Caloocan City.
On Wednesday, February 5, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla floated the idea of closing the EDSA carousel busway amid talks of increasing the capacity of MRT-3, which only partially covers the same route. The proposal was met with criticism from commuters. Transportation Sec. Bautista clarified on Sunday that the EDSA carousel, an operation under the DOTr, is only set for privatization beginning this year, and will not be closed.
