By Wilnard Bacelonia
MANILA – Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Friday called for intensified random inspections against ambulances conducting fake emergency runs, particularly during rush hours.
Lacson said authorities must apprehend drivers who misuse sirens even without emergency patients.
“More random checks on siren-blaring ‘ambulances’ especially during rush hours should be conducted. Drivers of vehicles with no emergency patients must be apprehended, their licenses revoked and charged, if warranted,” he said in a post on X.
Beyond being disruptive, he said improperly used emergency vehicles can endanger motorists and commuters.
“Aside from (being) annoying, they can be traffic hazards,” he added.
The call came after the Department of Transportation’s Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation intercepted an ambulance using the EDSA Busway near Santolan Station in Quezon City.
Authorities found that the vehicle was not responding to an emergency but was transporting passengers to a hospital for routine checkups.
The EDSA Busway is a dedicated lane for public utility buses to move as many commuters as possible. Unauthorized vehicles, including private ones, are prohibited from entering the lane.
Lacson previously pushed for measures to deter abuse of the busway, including reversing the direction of buses in the exclusive lane to discourage illegal entry by private vehicles during peak hours. (PNA)
