𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗮

ANOTHER day, another road rage incident in the Philippines, and this time it’s a bloody one. In Antipolo City, a 28-year-old businessman driving a black Toyota Fortuner turned Marcos Highway into a shooting gallery, leaving one motorbike rider dead and three others wounded, including his own live-in partner. The spark? A traffic dispute that escalated into a fistfight, then a hail of bullets.

The suspect, identified only as “Kenneth,” claims self-defense, alleging one of the riders was about to pull a gun. The CCTV footage and witness accounts, however, tell a less convenient story: a man cornered, overwhelmed, and reaching for the nuclear option, a 9mm pistol.

Let’s not mince words: this isn’t just about a hot-headed driver or a pack of aggressive riders. This is about a society teetering on the edge, where tempers flare faster than a jeepney’s exhaust and guns are as common as smartphones. The Antipolo incident is a grotesque mirror reflecting our collective failure, drivers, riders, lawmakers, and yes, even you, dear reader, to confront the chaos we’ve normalized on our roads and beyond.

First, let’s talk about “Kenneth.” Here’s a man who, by his own account, was rushing through traffic, hazards blinking, when a group of motorbike riders took offense, perhaps rightly, perhaps not. Words were exchanged, fists flew, and suddenly he’s John Wick with a registered 9mm CZ P-10C. Eight spent shells later, a 52-year-old rider is dead, his son is nursing a bullet wound, and a bystander who tried to play peacemaker is fighting for his life. Kenneth’s partner, caught in the crossfire, took a bullet to the thigh. Self-defense? Maybe he felt cornered. But here’s the rub: if you’re packing heat and your first instinct is to shoot your way out of a brawl, you’re not seen as a victim by a judging public, no matter the circumstance or legal arguments.

Curiously, some social media comments are hailing Kenneth as a “kamote neutralizer,” a vigilante hero taking down reckless riders, much like the bizarre hero worship once showered on Luigi Mangione, who shot a United Healthcare CEO in a twisted Robin Hood fantasy. It’s a disturbing trend, glorifying gunplay as justice.
“Deserved,” was a common comment, referring to the helmet-clad rider who kept coming after Kenneth before the latter pulled out a gun and stopped him.

Now, the riders. Videos circulating online show them ganging up on Kenneth, throwing punches like it’s a street fight audition. One clip even suggests they provoked him by flicking his Fortuner, a petty but telling act of bravado. Were they reckless “kamote” riders, weaving through traffic with the arrogance of immortals? Possibly. Did they deserve to be shot? Absolutely not. But their actions feed into a narrative too many Filipinos cling to: that motorbike riders are the scourge of the roads, a menace to be crushed rather than coexisted with. It’s a stereotype that fuels division and, apparently, gunfire.

This isn’t an isolated tragedy. Just months ago, a Toyota Fortuner driver in Batangas beat another motorist senseless. In Taguig, a Hyundai Stargazer driver rammed a motorcycle and dragged an MMDA enforcer. And who can forget Claudio Teehankee Jr.’s 1991 rampage in Makati, a road rage killing so infamous it still haunts our collective memory? The pattern is clear: our roads are battlegrounds, and too many of us are armed for war.

Why? Because we’re a nation of hair-trigger egos, stewing in a toxic brew of entitlement, impatience, and easy access to firearms. The election gun ban, in effect until June 11, didn’t stop Kenneth from carrying his pistol, legally registered, sure, but illegally brandished. The Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act is a paper tiger when enforcement is lax and gun culture is glorified. Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office slaps 90-day license suspensions on the involved parties, as if that’s a cure for a sickness this deep. It’s a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound.

And let’s not ignore the heat, literal and figurative. March 30 was a scorcher, and studies show extreme temperatures crank up aggression. Add that to the daily grind of traffic, the lawlessness of our highways, and a culture that shrugs at “bahala na” recklessness, and you’ve got a recipe for Antipolo-style carnage. The police, to their credit, nabbed Kenneth in a hot pursuit operation, earning medals from PNP Chief Rommel Marbil. But medals won’t bring back the dead or fix the rot.

So, who’s to blame? Kenneth, for pulling the trigger? The riders, for escalating a spat into a brawl? The system for letting guns and tempers run wild? All of them, and none of them. This is us, Filipinos who’d rather die proving a point than yield an inch. We’re the SUV driver who thinks he owns the road, the rider who’d rather fight than ride away, the bystander who watches it unfold instead of demanding better.

Here’s a thought to ponder: maybe we don’t deserve better roads until we become better people. Maybe the real crime isn’t the shooting, but the fact that we’re shocked it doesn’t happen more often. Until we ditch the guns, the egos, and the macho posturing, Antipolo won’t be the last bloodstain on Marcos Highway. Drive safely? Sure. But live wisely first.