Taxi driver under probe after counterflow incident blocks MDRRMO vehicle in Iloilo

• A taxi was caught on camera counterflowing and blocking an MDRRMO vehicle in Iloilo City
• The incident caused heavy traffic in Barangay Magsaysay Village on January 21
• The taxi company has launched an internal investigation into the driver’s actions
• LTO 6 says the maneuver may be considered reckless driving and warrants sanctions

A taxi driver is facing possible sanctions after a video showed the vehicle counterflowing and blocking a Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) vehicle in San Rafael, Iloilo.

The incident, which happened in Barangay Magsaysay Village in La Paz, Iloilo City on January 21, 2026, was reported by Kim Salinas on GMA Regional TV One Western Visayas on Thursday.

The footage showed the MDRRMO vehicle moving slowly as it encountered a taxi that was gradually backing up while traveling in the wrong lane.

According to the person who recorded and uploaded the video, the taxi driver’s actions resulted in severe traffic congestion in the area.

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“Susunduin na nila ang mga warrior. Una yung mga props nila. So magbabantay talaga ang mga bus. So ang taxi, alam na niyang ganun ang sitwasyon, lumusot pa rin,” says video uploader Stephen Asistido Supresencia.

The management of Light of Glory Taxi has since launched an investigation into the incident.

Atty. Joseph Vincent Go, the company’s general manager, said the driver claimed he was following a tricycle and assumed traffic would continue to move.

“May pasahero siya that time and he was trying to get away from the traffic. Naniniwala kami na may kasalanan talaga siya kasi siyempre, nag-counterflow siya. Sa amin, naghihigpit na kami sa reckless because it does not only involve the property of the company but siyempre ang life ng public,” says Go.

Go added that the driver, who has been with the company for more than 12 years, may face a one- to two-week suspension depending on the outcome of the probe and will be required to undergo safety retraining.

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Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) 6 said the act may be classified as reckless driving and confirmed that a show cause order will be issued against the driver.

“Malaki ang possibility na kung nagmamadali rin yung emergency vehicle, baka may nasaktan. So it is a reckless maneuver para sa kanya,” says LTO 6 Director Atty. Gaudioso Geduspan II.

In different parts of the country, a series of unusual and tragic incidents drew public attention. In Zamboanga City, emergency responders recovered a massive 10-foot python that had coiled itself inside a parked car. The rescue, recorded by the Bureau of Fire Protection, quickly spread online after the video went viral. Meanwhile, in Aurora, wildlife officials successfully released a Northern Luzon giant cloud rat back into its natural forest habitat, a move aimed at protecting the survival of the rare and timid species. In Libon, Albay, residents were alarmed when a five-meter oarfish—often referred to in local lore as a “doomsday fish”—was discovered dead along the shore of Barangay Pantao. Although the rare find sparked speculation about possible earthquakes, marine experts said they are studying environmental factors that may have caused the deep-sea creature to surface.

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In a separate incident, a 46-year-old traffic enforcer lost his life in a road accident on January 18, 2026, in Barangay Barra, Opol. Police said the victim was riding his motorcycle toward Cagayan de Oro and attempting to overtake another vehicle when he collided head-on with an oncoming car driven by a 33-year-old man. The force of the crash sent the sedan swerving into a nearby parking area, where it struck and damaged five parked motorcycles. Authorities later confirmed that the car driver was released from police custody on Monday, January 19, after an amicable settlement was reached with the victim’s family and the owners of the damaged motorcycles.

Source: KAMI.com.gh