KM Viray
“Never endanger a child, or you’ll face the wrath of a MOM.” These are Digital Filipina owner and blogger Karina Ramos‘s exact words when she posted a photo on Facebook of a lady driver who almost hit her baby while they were crossing a pedestrian lane in Greenhills, San Juan.
According to Ramos, she was crossing the pedestrian lane from Greenhills Promenade Mall to the Theater Mall while pushing her baby Khalil in a stroller. A car had stopped to let them cross but another car on the other side of the lane kept going straight. The car very narrowly missed hitting stroller. If it weren’t for Ramos’s quick reflexes, her child would have been severely injured.
When Ramos turned to look at the driver, she saw it was a woman. She had a smirk on her face as if it were Ramos’s fault for crossing. In her surprise and anger, Ramos slammed the hood of the car but the woman continued to smirk and that made Ramos come to the driver’s side and confront her. The woman, who was wearing a Toyota uniform, rolled her windows down and uttered a simple and insincere “sorry” without any explanations.
Despite Ramos’s anger, the woman seemed unfazed and simply left. Ramos tried to open the car doors but they were locked and the woman just sped off without further ado. Ramos hurriedly ran after the vehicle after leaving her child with her mother. They had reached V-Mall when Ramos was able to call to some guards standing by who were able to stop the vehicle. From there, they went to the police where the woman’s arrogant demeanor had crumbled and she began to cry. In response, Ramos said, “‘Wag mo daanin sa paiyak iyak mo. Kung nagsorry ka sana ng maayos ok na sana. Kaso tinakbuhan mo pa kami. [Don’t cry to get out of this. If you had only apologized properly then we would have settled things amicably, but you just left us.]”
Since Ramos was unaware of what case to file against the woman, the police suggested to just give her a ticket. When they asked for her license, the woman was unable to produce it. The woman returned to her vehicle and locked herself inside saying she would wait for her husband. When her husband arrived 30 minutes later, he went to Ramos and said, “Ano ba problema mo maam? [What is your problem?]” The husband, though, admitted that the woman had left her license in their other vehicle.
Ramos was also infuriated with the police investigator who seemed ignorant of the law. It seemed as if he wasn’t even aware that it is illegal to drive without a license. He said he saw no violations in the incident and it was alright in some instances to not have your license and besides, the child wasn’t even hit. This ticked Ramos off. When Ramos threatened to report the investigator, it was then they called a traffic enforcer who informed the investigator of a city ordinance in San Juan that stated that a failure to carry a license is a violation.
It was only then that the woman was given a ticket and charged with failure to carry a license and a violation with regards to a pedestrian. In the end, the couple apologized.
All this could have been avoided if the woman had simply settled things properly with Ramos. As of this writing, Ramos and her husband have contacted Toyota Motors and have received feedback that the matter will be addressed immediately.
Let this serve as a lesson to all motorists out there. It’s just common sense to bring your license wherever you go. Learn also to respect laws when driving. These simple acts could save a life and save you from trouble as well.
Almost hit but was not hit, end of the story. The mother just overreacted and it was actually her fault to put her daughter’s life in danger. Why? She was supposed to be on the danger side and not her daughter. If that was the case, it was her to have almost been hit by that car. She was just putting the blame on another person. Besides, the driver already said sorry. If it wasn’t sincere for the mom, then maybe it is for the driver. It’s just so hard to quantify apologies, it’s merely by judgment.
Another violent reaction from another lady driver, Mrs Ramos.. I am a lady driver myself and guess what?… Damn I’m good!
@kat paano sya ppwesto sa danger side? Maglalakd ng paatras at hihilahin yung stroller?
@bogart true, sa gilid sya pupwesto para mahila nya at macover at the same time ang stroller? ahahahha Overreacting? kahit sinong nanay aantayin pa bang mabangga muna bago mag react. It’s her initial reaction. And besides, nasa pedestrian lane sila tumatawid. very basic naman te na dapat pag may tumatawid, hihinto. c’mon!?!
@kat
a baby was almost hit by an arrogant driver (that she is a woman is irrelevant) who was not carrying a license (illegal) and you are criticizing the mother for her reaction? pedestrians should be given priority when crossing (unless there’s a traffic light). i am a man and i always give way to crossing pedestrians. you should try it sometime. it actually feels good when they acknowledge you and show their gratitude by nodding or waving at you as soon as you hit the break. this is a woman pushing a stroller (i don’t get your danger side comment). they should have been given priority, like how we give priority to the elderly or disabled or pregnant women. the car from one side was able to stop. how hard was it for the other car to do the same? the way the offending driver drives says a lot about her character.