Transport chief sacks EDSA enforcer who stopped ambulance on busway — when rules clash with common sense
Marijo Farah A. Benitez • Ipinost noong 2026-02-19 11:45:13
FEBRUARY 19, 2026 — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has sacked Rayson dela Torre, head of the Special Action Intelligence Committee for Transportation’s (SAICT) special operations group, after he flagged down an ambulance using the EDSA Busway. The incident happened early morning on February 17, when the ambulance was transporting a stage 4 cancer patient for a medical check-up. Dela Torre insisted the busway was “only for emergency situations.”
But here’s the thing: DOTr policy, issued back in November 2023, is crystal clear. On-duty ambulances, fire trucks, and police vehicles are allowed to use the busway — no ifs, no buts. Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez wasted no time, relieving dela Torre from his post and ordering an investigation.
“All on-duty ambulances, regardless of the condition of the patient, are allowed to use the busway,” Lopez emphasized.
The DOTr also apologized to the patient’s family and directed SAICT to reorient its personnel to avoid similar mishaps. That’s a polite way of saying: know the rules before you enforce them.
Tragically, the patient did not survive the ordeal. According to the family, the stress of being stopped on EDSA worsened her condition, and she passed away later that day. The incident has since drawn public sympathy and renewed calls for compassion in traffic enforcement.
Now, imagine being inside that ambulance, already battling cancer, only to be stopped because someone misread the rules. It’s a reminder that policies exist to serve people, not to trip them up.
The EDSA Busway was designed to ease traffic and prioritize essential transport. Allowing ambulances to pass freely isn’t just policy — it’s humanity. And when humanity gets sidelined by rigid enforcement, the public loses confidence.
So how do we make sure that compassion isn’t lost in the bureaucracy of Metro Manila’s traffic jungle? Every second on the road can mean the difference between life or death, so shouldn’t common sense always outrank blind enforcement?
(Image: Screengrab from YouTube)