MANILA, Philippines – Five lawmakers filed a measure seeking to impose stiff penalties on motorists who engage in road rage.

The filing of the bill on Monday, September 4, was triggered by the August 8 incident, in which car driver and dismissed policeman Wilfredo Gonzales pulled a gun on an unarmed cyclist near Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City.

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) previously said it could not file an attempted homicide case against Gonzales because the victim has not come forward.

Play Video

What the proposal says

Under House Bill No. 8991, the government would be authorized to prosecute suspects of road rage even without the cooperation of victims who are unable to pursue legal action due to fear or intimidation.

It also seeks the following sanctions:

• jail sentence of up to one year on top of up to P100,000 fine for a person engaging in road rage, but when no injury or death occurred
• jail sentence of up to four years on top of up to P250,000 fine for road rage cases resulting in physical injury
• jail sentence of up to 12 years on top of up to P500,00 fine for road rage cases resulting in death
• perpetual disqualification from public office if the road rage offender is from government service
• revocation of driver’s license

The offender shall also undergo an anger management program.

The bill was filed by ACT-CIS representatives Jocelyn Tulfo, Edvic Yap, and Erwin Tulfo, as well as Quezon City 2nd District Representative Ralph Tulfo and Benguet Representative Eric Yap.

San Jose del Monte Representative Rida Robes also filed an anti-road rage bill back in August 2022, although the content of that proposal was slightly different from HB 8991.

Background

Gonzales said on August 27 that he and the cyclist had settled amicably after the August 8 incident.

A QCPD officer also claimed on August 29 that the cyclist was not “under duress” and was not forced to reach an agreement with Gonzales.

Without the victim’s cooperation, the QCPD only filed an alarm and scandal complaint against Gonzales.

But, according to lawyer Raymond Fortun, the cyclist’s son was urging his father to pursue justice. The cyclist, however, was supposedly afraid that his family’s lives would be in danger if he took legal action due to Gonzales’s connections.

Gonzales, a police officer of more than two decades, once served at the QCPD, but he was an errant cop who experienced numerous demotions and was dismissed from service due to grave misconduct.

He also used to work for the Supreme Court, but was fired after the gun toting incident came to light.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte promised to protect the cyclist should he decide to come forward.

She also called out the QCPD for giving Gonzales a platform as the police district organized a press conference for Gonzales, who did not even categorically apologize to the cyclist. – Rappler.com