Fire volunteer brings out axe in road rage incident

Following right-of-way concerns along Abad Santos Avenue in Tondo, Manila, a truck driver and a group of fire volunteers got into an argument last week.

Truck driver Timothy James Asuncion said he was driving down Abad Santos Avenue last Friday when asked to make way for a group of fire volunteers consisting of two trucks and motorbikes.

“Sabi ko ‘Sige po, daan po kayo,’ pinagbigyan ko po sila. Nung paglipat ko ng kaliwa, sinundan nila ako. Bumalik po ako sa kanan, sinundan niya pa rin po ulit ako. Sabi ko mukhang iba na po ata,” he told GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

(I told them, ‘Okay, go ahead. I gave way. When I transferred to the left, they followed. I returned to the right, and they still followed. This is now something different, I thought to myself.)

Asuncion claimed that the fire volunteers attacked him after the two parties got into a dispute at a street light. A video clip showed one of the men brandishing an axe while another struck him.

The truck driver claimed he was struck by the axe and had scratches on his arm due to the attack.

Fire volunteer brings out axe in road rage incident

“Fire volunteer din po ako, firefighter, kaya alam ko naman po ‘yung protocol. ‘Pag may responde, automatic tatabi po, gigilid. Nung araw po na nangyari ‘yun wala naman talagang responde,” Asuncion said.

(I’m also a volunteer fireman, so I’m familiar with the procedure. It is automated to give way when there is a response operation. There was no operation on that day.)

Asuncion reported the man with the axe to Manila Police District Station 7, which identified him as Aniceto Pagulayan. They’re still looking for other people who might be involved in the road rage incident.

According to Asuncion’s claims and narration, Pagulayan would be charged with attempted homicide.

“In the Philippines, eight out of 10 drivers exhibit aggressive behavior at least once a year, while nine of 10 drivers think of aggressive driving as a threat to their personal safety,” Nueva Ecija 1st district Rep. Estrellita Suansing said in 2020 after filing a bill regarding road rage.