MMDA Official Suspended Over Viral Incident Involving Teacher

Teachers’ groups on Thursday welcomed the temporary suspension of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Special Operations Group-Strike Force Head Gabriel Go following his viral social media post on a traffic apprehension involving a teacher. “We welcome the MMDA’s decision to suspend Mr. Gabriel Go from clearing operations pending investigation,” Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said in a statement. “Our concern has never been the apprehension itself, but the manner in which it was conducted and publicly broadcast despite the teacher’s request not to be filmed,” it added. The MMDA official faced criticism on Tuesday after posting a video in which he called out a male public school teacher riding a motorcycle without a helmet. “You’re a teacher, yet you’re driving without a helmet? How are we going to teach our students if that is the case?” Mr. Go said in Filipino in the filmed video. “You should have thought of that first before doing something wrong.” In a formal letter sent by TDC to MMDA, the group said the video gained widespread public attention due to the official’s “unnecessarily confrontational, demeaning, and disrespectful” behavior. “The concern expressed by the public was not the apprehension itself, but whether a government representative, while exercising official authority, should resort to public humiliation,” the group said. “Firm enforcement of the law and respectful treatment of the public are not opposing principles; they are complementary obligations of every public servant,” it added. For its part, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines also questioned Mr. Go’s intent to record the incident, despite the violator’s blatant refusal to be filmed. “The video clearly shows that the teacher pleaded not to make the incident public, but it appears that Go’s objective was to gain attention and act like a king on the road,” ACT Philippines Chairperson Ruby Bernardo said in Filipino on Thursday. The group also flagged Mr. Go’s violation of the MMDA’s order prohibiting vlogging, recording, and posting of the agency’s operations. It also urged the agency to conduct a “thorough, impartial, and transparent” investigation into the incident. “He has no credibility when he himself violated the directive of his own agency prohibiting personnel from vlogging any operation,” Ms. Bernardo said. “Public humiliation and self-promotion for personal interest are simply unacceptable.” “If he truly believes that no one should violate the law and established rules, then he should also set an example by following them,” she added. Last year, MMDA banned posting its operations on social media in a personal capacity, following a viral video involving Mr. Go and a Quezon City cop who had a traffic violation. The agency said it will issue a show-cause order (SCO) against Mr. Go on Thursday, following his temporary suspension from joining field operations amid a pending investigation. Mr. Go has yet to reply to a Facebook message seeking comment regarding the issue. — Almira Louise S. Martinez