Van driver with no license leads LTO on car chase on Kennon Road

The driver of a colorum van who drove without a driver’s license led personnel of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in a high-speed car chase along Kennon Road in Baguio City.

According to John Consulta’s exclusive report in “24 Oras” on Monday, the LTO received reports of two van drivers in an altercation. Personnel of the LTO flagged one of the vans and learned that the other van allegedly cut the other vehicle’s path.

The LTO then flagged the second van but instead of pulling over, the van driver sped off and sparked a high-speed chase with LTO personnel hot on his tail.

The report noted that the van driver sped off in a counterflow direction along the winding Kennon Road, despite other vehicles towards him from the opposite direction.

“May concerned motorcycle rider na nagsumbong na may dalawang nag-aaway na driver, na parang road rage. So huminto ‘yung mama at itinuro niya yung isa. Kaya minabuti ng mga law enforcer natin na parahin,” said Glenn Dumlao, regional director of the Department of Transportation in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DOTr-CAR).

(A concerned motorcycle rider reported that there were two drivers fighting, like a road rage incident. The man stopped and pointed one of them out. So our law enforcers decided it was best to flag it down.) 

“At ‘yung unang van pumara naman, tumabi sa daan. Sabi niya, ‘Ayun po yung nambu-bully sa amin. Kinut po kami…’ So pinara ulit ‘yung van na parating, ang problema, hindi huminto,” he added. 

(The first van pulled over and moved to the side of the road. He said, ‘That one is bullying us. They cut us off...’ So we tried to flag down the approaching van, but the problem was, it didn’t stop.) 

During the car chase, other LTO vehicles attempted to block the van’s path. The van finally hit a vehicle of the LTO, forcing it to stop.

LTO personnel were then surprised to see passengers, including a minor, inside the van.

Authorities learned that the van driver had no driver’s license with him and also committed several traffic violations in the past.

“Nahuli na siya nung 2024 sa kadahilanan na nag-colorum siya. The same violation na ginawa niya ngayon, talagang abusado ‘yung driver, pasaway, dini-disregard niya ‘yung mga law enforcers natin,” said LTO chief Markus Lacanilao. 

(He was already caught in 2024 for operating a colorum vehicle. It’s the same violation he committed now, the driver is truly abusive, unruly, and he disregarded our law enforcers.)

On Monday, the van driver underwent inquest proceedings for cases of resistance and disobedience to a person in authority. 

Lacanilao recommended the revocation of the driver’s license of the van driver. They will also file charges of reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property against the motorist. 

He added that the van in question was also impounded for being a colorum vehicle. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/JMA, GMA Integrated News