PHILIPPINES: A grieving daughter has spoken out after her mother, a stage 4 cancer patient, died on the same day their ambulance was stopped along the EDSA Busway, an incident that has since gone viral and triggered disciplinary action.
The patient, a woman from Bulacan, was being transported on the morning of February 17 to a medical facility in Pasig City for a scheduled check up. Near the Santolan area, the ambulance was flagged down by personnel of the Special Action Intelligence Committee for Transportation.
SAICT official Rayson dela Torre reportedly told the driver that the bus lane was reserved for emergencies and not for scheduled medical visits.
The ambulance driver, Manuel Palileo, later condemned the encounter, saying the patient was in critical condition.
“Wala kayong konsiderasyon… parang ‘di kayo tao. Mas priority niyo ‘yung bus kesa pasyente… stage 4 cancer…” he wrote.
According to the patient’s daughter, Rizza Valencia, the ambulance was held for around 30 minutes while the driver explained her mother’s condition. She said the enforcers stood firm in their interpretation of the rule.
The ambulance was eventually allowed through.
However, Valencia shared that the ordeal caused extreme stress to her mother. After returning to Bulacan later that day, the patient passed away.
“Pero nung inuwi namin siya, wala na… sobrang grabe na ng stress niya,” Valencia said in an interview.
She added that no disciplinary action could undo the stress her mother endured in her final hours.
In a statement that has since circulated widely online, Valencia said incidents like this reinforce why she chose to build her life abroad. She said she does not regret leaving the Philippines, pointing to what she described as weak enforcement and lack of accountability in situations where compassion should prevail.
DOTr Clarifies Policy, Orders Action
Following public backlash, Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez clarified that under rules of the Department of Transportation, all on duty ambulances are permitted to use the EDSA Busway, regardless of the patient’s condition.
Lopez dismissed dela Torre as head of SAICT’s special operations group pending investigation and ordered a reorientation for all busway enforcement personnel.
The DOTr issued an apology to the family and pledged to ensure that enforcement policies are carried out with compassion.
Under existing guidelines, aside from authorized buses, the EDSA Busway may be used by on duty ambulances, fire trucks, Philippine National Police vehicles, service vehicles for the busway project, and the country’s highest ranking officials.
The incident has since fueled wider debate online about the gap between written rules and how they are enforced on the ground. For many, it has become a painful reminder that in situations involving life and health, discretion and humanity matter as much as discipline.