In the current state that I am in (extreme business at work), I forgot to blog about my encounter yesterday with the Cavite Traffic Police. I drove to work yesterday because there was a dinner scheduled later that night at Alabang and I don't know how I would be able to get home if I didn't drive. E rode with me to work since she got left behind by the shuttle. So anyway, on the way to work in the bridge going to GMA, the car in front of the motorcycle in front of me suddenly stopped. The motorcycle tapped the bumper of the car in front, but the clincher was, I was too close to the motorcycle that I bumped into it's mud guard causing the motorcyclist to fall from the bike. Unfortunately for me, the motorcycle was that of the Cavite Traffic Police. You read that right. In the first mishap that I ever had in my 4+ years of driving, I bump into someone who I would never want to be in an accident in. Since I was in the rear end, I was of course at fault of the accident. Which I never denied. I knew I was at fault and I asked the officer for forgiveness (mga sang milyong sorry ata ang sinabi ko), just so he would let me go without a fuss. After all, his mud guard only has a small crack in it that would easily be fixed by epoxy. But of course that was just wishful thinking. The officer asked me to follow him to the side of the road and there he told me that either I replace the mud guard (since he says I "destroyed" government property) or he will give me a ticket. So I told him that I would gladly replace the mudguard that I accidentally cracked. Believe it or not, during that time, he spoke to me in a threatening voice that I was willing myself to cry so that he would pity poor me. Me agreeing to pay for the replacement did not seem to appease the officer. He then launched into a litany wherein he was stressing the fact that it was government property that I cracked and that it would be very hard to find a replacement for the mud guard. I was ever so willing to listen to him and to accompany him to the motorcycle store nearby. All the while he was talking, I kept silent and just let him talk. So to make an already long story short, he asked for my license, took down my name and address, went to the motorcycle store with me only to find out that the owner of the store is not yet around to give a quote. In that duration (around 20 minutes or so), I have started to cry (I willed myself to cry, it worked before and I KNOW that it will work again), and the officer took a calmer voice on me. In the end, we were unable to make any purchases but my wallet was a couple of hundreds of pesos lighter. The officer went away with enough money to buy epoxy and buy his buddies Happy Meals at McDo. If it weren't for the fact that the motorcycle shop owner was not around and we were already late as it is, I wouldn't give him any money. Simply because of principle. I do not tolerate this kind of thing but unfortunately, I fell prey to the circumstances. I'm just glad that I went away from that incident with only a dent on the plate number of DA POGI's beloved car.

DA GANDA blogged @ 9/28/2005 05:56:00 AM