Duterte son apprehended for speeding in Davao City

Being the son of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte did not spare Paolo "Pulong" Duterte from getting a speeding ticket in Davao City, where he is also the reelected vice mayor.

In a Facebook post, Pulong shared a photo of the traffic ticket he received and explained what happened.

Written in Visayan, he said he was slapped with a speeding ticket after he was caught driving at 57 km/h—way over the speed limit of 40 km/h—along Bangkal Street.

He said he was driving fast because his wife was mad at him and he was afraid of his wife.

In the comments section, Pulong said it was the first time he was apprehended for speeding.

Others commended Pulong for respecting the law, but he jokingly shrugged them off by asking why they seemed to be happy that he was apprehended.

In a report by Cedric Castillo on GMA-7’s “24 Oras”, the traffic enforcer who apprehended Pulong shared his side of the story.

“Grineet namin ng good morning tapos sinabi namin na, ‘Sir, speed limit po.’ Pinakita namin iyong speed gun. Tapos iyong actual na speed niya, 57 [km/h],” Jonathan Frigillana said.

He admitted that he got nervous when he saw the reelected Vice Mayor, and was relieved when Pulong himself asked him to give him a speeding ticket.

“Kinabahan talaga ako kasi vice mayor nga. Tapos noong sinabi niya na trabaho din namin ganyan, parang naluwagan ako kaunti kasi parang alam niya na ganoon talaga trabaho namin,” he explained.

Retired Police Supt. Rhodelio Poliquit, City Transport and Traffic Management Office head, said that Pulong’s case is reckless driving. To retrieve his driver’s license, he has to pay a fine of P2,078 at the City’s Land Transportation Office.

In 2009, the President-elect was apprehended for driving a motorcycle without a helmet. In 2014, incoming Mayor Sara Duterte was also apprehended for speeding.
Poliquit said law enforcers should not be afraid to apprehend politicians if they clearly violated the law.

“Kung hindi mo hulihin, mas lalong magalit sa iyo kasi mas maintriga tayo kaysa iyong iba hinuli natin, iyong Vice Mayor natin, hindi natin mahuli,” he explained. —Trisha Macas/KBK/BAP, GMA News