If you guys thought we were done with Robert Blaire Carabuena, think again. The last I heard of this man was when he 1) apologized to Saturnino Fabros, and 2) when he was publicly heckled, and was brought to the hospital. Now, he’s going to jail.
And you thought Social Justice Man wasn't doing his job.
While this isn’t a very big win for social justice – he can post bail at a measly PhP12,000 – the guy gets both his driving and gun licenses revoked. It’s also a victory for the little guy, because here, Fabros was undoubtedly the underdog.
An underdog backed by the Metro Manila Development Authority and its lawyers, sure, but an underdog nonetheless.
It’s also poignant that this time, the guy with the money gets proven completely wrong, and while I don’t approve of the heckling, I won’t say that the guy didn’t deserve it (until after he apologized, anyway), so social justice is served.
But this begs the question of whether this thing would’ve gone the way it did if the man hadn’t gone viral on the ‘web. I doubt it. Stuff like this happens every day, and things can always go both ways here. Sometimes, these policemen and MMDA patrolmen are the ones abusing hapless motorists. Other times, these motorists are the ones abusing the local authorities.
Well, either that, or they’re corrupting the system by paying the policemen / MMDA off rather than getting a ticket.
The one good thing about this whole debacle is that it shows a system that actually worked the way it was supposed to, this time around. And while it’s a very miniscule victory, it’s a victory nonetheless, and it’s something that should be celebrated in its own way.