Road rage is one of the most concerning issues that we encounter as we traverse the streets. Motorists are often engaging in heated arguments with other drivers along the way. The heated exchange sometimes escalates that could result in an unacceptable behavior. This is when a certain individual becomes physically and verbally aggressive towards another. In some cases, raging emotional behaviors manages the aggressive drivers to confront government officials who are simply enforcing the law against abusive motorists. As a result, there are ethical and criminal liabilities that aggressive motorists often get involved with.
This is the case of a woman who was caught illegally parking at a street in Manila. The female driver was then approached by the members of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to hand out her license. However, she refused to cooperate and resisted any request aside from diligently parking the black van on the other side of the road. What's interesting is that she maintained her composure for continuously resisting any requests by the members of the government. The MMDA is very displeased by this kind of behavior where motorists resist the government officials to get away from any illegal charge.
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| 5 Minute Girl |
On a video made by Gagdet Addict's Facebook page and YouTube Channel uploaded the video wherein the owner was present during the time incident and published his recorded video of the scene to his social media. Upon netizen's curiosity regarding the identity of the female driver, she was identified as Christine Villamora Estepa, who initially drove the car. Kristine demanded her 5-minute as s proof made by a team of the MMDA enforcers requesting for her driver's license. The behavior of the woman along with her wife gained multiple negative reactions from netizens who regarded it as unacceptable for professionals like them.
Netizens claim that alibis of using her husband's position as a lawmaker are not an acceptable option as both couples have been caught violating the law. The behaviors of these professionals are also not acceptable based on how they treated these officials who are just following the rule of law. Various social media users were dismayed on some professionals that displays the worst emotional reactions once they are caught committing undesirable practices under the law. Many are hoping that the case should be resolved soon as it is now gaining numerous attention from other social media users.
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5 Facts about the 5 Minute Girl
1. The driver violated parking rules: There are existing ordinances that the local government units implement to the community. The goal is to ensure safety, conducive space for motorists, and to remove illegally erected structures that causes obstacles along the streets. In the case of the 5-minute girl, she was caught off-guard by the members of the MMDA as she parked the vehicle in an area that is banned from parking. The MMDA officially waited for 5 minutes before towing the vehicle; fortunately, the woman was already there to save their vehicle.
2. Damaged the vehicle of an MMDA officer: The driver was then requested to park their vehicle to the opposite side of the road. The problem is that she already damaged one of the vehicles of a government official and remained unapologetic due to her emotional rage on her parking violation. The incident was not totally caught by any video or photograph, which might soon be uploaded by a witness during the scene in the future. The driver and the spouse might face another criminal charge by the authorities aside from the parking violation.
3. Tagged as the 5 Minute Girl: If there was a Helmet Girl and a Crying girl, here comes the "5-Minute Girl". The term was taken and then eventually made by a group of netizens due to the unforgettable statement of the driver "Show me the 5 minutes, Give me that 5 minutes". Since then, Christine will now have a new name under her profile, which is "the five-minute girl". The statement was allegedly part of her alibi as a tactic to get away from the recent parking violation. Sometimes, making a strong tactical alibi can really get away from a certain accusation or violation even from the authorities.
5. A Classic example of a road rage: A road rage is a situation wherein a motorist is engaged in a heated argument with another individual along the road. One cardinal sign of a road rage is when there is a heightened emotional aggravation expressed by either one or both sides during the altercation. Sometimes, the altercation can aggravate physical and verbal assaults against each other. When there is enough scandal generated by either of the two parties, they will soon realize that they are generating fame in social media in a different way.
The MMDA always advises the public to always cooperate with the authorities regardless of any circumstances that apply. It is useless to show irate behaviors towards other motorists, especially with the authorities because it can result in another scandalous offense. Since the incident generated a significant online attention, there will be more follow up stories on this issue. If you resist any cooperation with the authorities, it is likely that more sanctions could happen.
QUESTION: What is your message to this couple who were caught violating parking rules as caught by the MMDA?
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