Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes and commentary only. It does not constitute formal legal advice.
February 13, 2026
A split-second, and then tragedy strikes. 'Yung tipong normal city traffic lang, then you suddenly hear the screech of brakes, followed by a terrifying silence. You’ve probably seen the viral headlines by now: a student fell from an LRT overpass and landed directly on top of a moving vehicle. It is a heartbreaking situation that has left everyone in shock. Our deepest condolences go out to the student's family. But as the news unfolded, another kind of tragedy began to happen. The driver, who just happened to be passing by at that exact moment, was immediately arrested and detained for Reckless Imprudence Resulting in Homicide.
As a law student, this really hits close to home. Pero we really need to talk about this: Why is it that here in the Philippines, even if you clearly did nothing wrong, ikaw pa rin ang dehado at diretso sa kulungan?
Is the driver a criminal, or is he just a victim of our "fallback" culture?
Let’s break it down into simple points.
1. The "Auto-Arrest" and the Inquest
Why was the driver arrested immediately? Right now, he is under what we call an Inquest Proceeding. Ito 'yung fast-track investigation when someone is arrested without a warrant. But let’s be honest, ito ang "open secret" sa kalsada: police officers often "Err on the Side of Caution." Bakit? Fear of Administrative Complaints: Many officers fear being accused of "Neglect of Duty" kapag pinalaya nila ang driver without a prosecutor's order.
The Fallback Mentality: When someone dies in an accident, the system feels like someone has to be blamed. Since the driver is the one alive and present, siya ang nagiging default "fallback" kahit wala naman siyang ginawang mali. But let’s look at Article 365 of the Revised Penal Code. For "Reckless Imprudence" to exist, there must be an "inexcusable lack of precaution", basically, extreme carelessness. If someone falls from a height and lands on your car in just one second, no matter how careful you are, hindi mo 'yun maiiwasan. It is not the driver's fault if he cannot beat the laws of physics.
2. The Emergency Rule: You are not a Superhero
In our law school discussions, we often talk about the Emergency Rule. This comes from a famous case called Gan vs. Court of Appeals. It says that a person who is suddenly placed in an emergency and has to decide in a split-second is not held to the same standard of care as someone who had time to think.
If someone falls in front of your car while you are driving and you hit the brakes, you did your best. Tao ka lang na may reflexes; you are not a superhero who can stop time.
3. Who is the Real Cause? (Proximate Cause)
Who actually started this chain of events? This is what we call Proximate Cause. If the victim’s own ac, whether it was an accident or intentional, was the direct cause of the death, the driver should not be the one to pay for it. In this tragedy, dumaan lang ang sasakyan. There was no "act" from the driver that caused the student to fall.
4. Commentary: Trauma from the System
My take on this? It is a form of State-Sanctioned Trauma. While we mourn for the student, we have to recognize that the driver is also a victim. Being detained, having your mugshot taken, and spending your life savings on a lawyer for something you didn't want to happen, sobrang laking trauma niyan. The law should be a search for the truth, hindi lang naghahanap ng "masasisi" just so we can say someone was held accountable. When we force the innocent to answer for something unavoidable, we aren't giving justice to the dead, we are just creating more victims.
Final Thoughts
The spirit of the law is justice. It is meant to protect all of us, and not to treat innocent drivers as "collateral damage." We hope the Prosecutor sees the facts: that this was a horrific tragedy, not a crime. What do you think about our system's "arrest first, ask questions later" culture? Let’s discuss sa comments.
