Manila - The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has praised traffic enforcer Jennifer Salen of the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (I-ACT) for her integrity in refusing a bribe from a motorist violating the EDSA carousel busway rules. In a statement released on Wednesday, DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista hailed Salen as an exemplary model for other traffic officers.
According to Philippines News Agency, The incident, captured in a video taken by Salen on Monday, shows a driver she apprehended offering her a wad of cash, which she declined. Salen's response to the bribe attempt was 'kung kinuha ko 'yan dagdag pa 'yan sa violation mo' (if I accepted that I would've added it to your violation).' Despite the driver's attempts to argue, Salen proceeded to take his driver's license and reprimanded him for the bribery attempt. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) confirmed that the driver involved in the bribery attempt has been handed over to the police for investigation. Bautista also expressed support for the MMDA's enforcement of increased penalties for violators of the EDSA busway and encouraged the public to utilize public transportation. The MMDA and I-ACT recently implemented increased fines for EDSA busway violations, with penalties ranging from PHP5,000 to PHP30,000 and varying degrees of license suspension or revocation.