MANILAphrich, Philippines — The driver of an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government who was arrested for illegally using the EDSA bus lane is not a policeman, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said yesterday.
“It is a private vehicle used by a contractual driver of an OIC (officer-in-charge) director in the DILG. We are getting the finer points of the investigation,” Remulla said in a television interview.
He said they are still determining if the DILG official was in the vehicle when the driver was accosted.
Eddiemill Barnachea Diaz, 35, reportedly introduced himself as a police officer after he was accosted by traffic enforcers for entering the exclusive EDSA Carousel.
Diaz almost hit an enforcer of the Department of Transportation’s Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT).
Charges will be filed against Diaz for impersonating a police officer, according to Remulla.
The DILG relieved Diaz from his post effective Dec. 31.
Last week, SAICT traffic enforcers pulled over a Toyota Innova with license plate SKW- 888 along the EDSA bus lane.
The car was registered to the DILG.
A SAICT enforcer from the Philippine Coast Guard was almost hit by the vehicle that tried to move past him despite being stopped.
“(The driver) is really abusive,” Remulla described Diaz who tried to escape.
“We are conducting an investigation. We issued a show-cause order to the driver. We also got the statements of the three apprehending traffic enforcers to determine what really transpired,” Remulla said.
Remulla said the DILG officialphrich, whose identity was withheld, has explained his side.