Senator Sherwin Gatchalian clarified on Friday that he has never allowed anyone to use his official protocol plate, following reports linking his brother, Kenneth Gatchalian, to a white Cadillac Escalade SUV that illegally passed through the EDSA Busway.
“I never lent out my official-issued license plates to anyone. The official license plate [that] is installed on my car is duly registered with the LTO (Land Transportation Office),” Gatchalian stated in a GMA News report.
This response came after media inquiries about whether the protocol plate, reportedly used by his brother, belonged to the senator. Gatchalian’s office also emphasized that he is not connected to the vehicle’s registered owner, Orient Pacific Corporation.
“Senator Gatchalian was not involved in the incident at the EDSA Busway in Guadalupe and was not inside the vehicle when it occurred… The senator does not own the fake protocol plate of the said SUV,” the statement clarified.
The vehicle in question, bearing a counterfeit “7” protocol plate, was flagged last Sunday when it attempted to evade apprehension at the northbound lane of the Guadalupe Station, almost striking an official of the Department of Transportation’s Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (DOTr-SAICT). The Land Transportation Office (LTO) confirmed the plate as fraudulent.
Gatchalian neither confirmed nor denied if the SUV, registered to Orient Pacific Corporation—whose president is Kenneth Gatchalian—was connected to his family, leaving the investigation to the LTO. “Mahirap namang mag-comment habang nag-iimbestiga sila. The LTO naman ay on top of the situation,” he said during an ambush interview.
The SUV’s driver, identified as Angelito Edpan, an employee of Orient Pacific Corporation, has presented himself to authorities. Despite Orient Pacific Corporation’s registration, the firm’s legal representative did not disclose its ownership details.
Reiterating his commitment to the law, Gatchalian stated, “Susunod tayo sa batas sa lahat ng pagkakataon. Ito ang ating prinsipyo bilang isang lingkod-bayan sa loob ng mahabang panahon,” emphasizing his adherence to rules throughout his 23 years of public service.
