The daughter of a patient with stage-four cancer lamented the death of her mother after their ambulance was stopped along EDSA Busway on Tuesday, February 17.
According to reports, an on-duty ambulance was flagged by Special Action Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT) official Rayson dela Torre on Tuesday morning for using the exclusive bus lane near the Santolan area.
The ambulance was carrying a female patient with a stage-four cancer from Bulacan, who was scheduled for a medical check-up at a facility in Pasig City.
It was flagged by Dela Torre, who said the bus lane is reserved for emergencies, not for check-ups.
The ambulance driver, Manuel Palileo, condemned the incident, saying the patient he was transported had passed away that day.
“Wala kayong konsiderasyon… parang ‘di kayo tao. Mas priority niyo ‘yung bus kesa pasyente… stage 4 cancer…” he wrote on Tuesday.
Riza Valencia, the patient’s daughter, said the ambulance was held for 30 minutes, with the driver reportedly explaining the severity of the mother’s condition.
However, the enforcers stood their ground, saying the bus lane is not intended for scheduled medical check-ups.
The ambulance was later allowed to use the busway, but Valencia expressed frustration at the enforcers’ lack of situational awareness, arguing that a stage-four cancer patient should have warranted special consideration under the policy.
She said the incident caused extreme stress to her mother, who passed away later that day after they returned to Bulacan.
“Pero nung inuwi namin siya, wala na, sir. Binuhat namin siya sa ano, hindi na siya makagalaw, wala na… sobrang grabe na ng stress niya,” Valencia said in an interview.
“‘Yung binigay na stress sa nanay ko, bago siya mawala, ‘yun ay hindi mababawi, kahit sibakin pa lahat ng kung sino man,” she added.
Aftermath
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Giovanni Lopez has dismissed the head of the SAICT’s special operations group following the incident.
He added that all ambulances, regardless of patient’s condition, are allowed to use the bus lane.
Lopez also instructed the SAICT personnel assigned to monitor the bus lane to undergo reorientation on relevant policies to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
The DOTr apologized to the patient’s family for the incident and vowed to take the necessary actions.
“Necessary measures are being taken to ensure that enforcement policies will be implemented with compassion and that the people’s safety will always be the transport agency’s priority and paramount concern,” the agency said in a statement.
Apart from authorized buses, on-duty ambulances, fire trucks, Philippine National Police vehicles, service vehicles performing duties for the EDSA Busway project and the country’s highest-ranking officials are allowed to use the bus lane.
These officials include the president, vice president, Senate president, House speaker and chief justice.
