MANILA, Philippines - A lawyer received ire from netizens after he arrogantly made kids stand up at the PWD section of Light Railway Transit (LRT) 1. He was soon identified on social media, with many angry over his actions.
It was Mother’s Day when the incident happened and the moment was made even more intense by the children’s mother who strongly defended her children, going up against the lawyer.
According to Lorenz Francis D. Tanjoco, a listener who witnessed the incident and took a video of the subsequent altercation between the lawyer and the children’s mother, sent him the clip with special request to remain anonymous.
According to this anonymous witness, the lawyer immediately shouted at the sitting children when he stepped inside the carriage.
“Tumayo kayo dyan! Umalis kayo dyan at uupo ako!” the lawyer demanded. (You stand up! Get out of that seat because I will sit down!)
The kids, ages 3 and 5, were terrified of the lawyer. Their mother, carrying a baby, was also shocked by this outrageous behavior. But the lawyer defended himself, telling everyone in the LRT carriage that he is a lawyer and a CPA; he knows the law.
He insisted that he was in the right, explaining that he is a senior citizen and has more right to sit down on the train than these kids. Knowing the law, he said that kids this age who can already stand up should stand up in favor of old people.
He even showed his senior citizen ID as proof, arguing with the angry mother that children should stand up and that the other old person in the carriage should be the one sitting. He also didn’t offer to give up his seat for the old lady, telling the kid who was still sitting beside him to stand up so the old lady could sit down.
Other passengers told him he shouldn’t have been using the LRT because he is rich as he is a lawyer but he told them they have no right to question his choices because everyone can use the LRT and he likes this particular transport option at the moment.
After the post went viral, the lawyer was identified as Atty. Nicolas Lapuz from the Legal Department, Office of the Court Administrator at the Supreme Court.
While Atty. Lapuz might be right when it comes to the legalities of who should be given priority at the seats of public vehicles, many believe he should have used a different approach when making the kids stand up instead of shouting at them to get off the seat. Do you agree?
— Danielle Ramos, The Summit Express
It was Mother’s Day when the incident happened and the moment was made even more intense by the children’s mother who strongly defended her children, going up against the lawyer.
According to Lorenz Francis D. Tanjoco, a listener who witnessed the incident and took a video of the subsequent altercation between the lawyer and the children’s mother, sent him the clip with special request to remain anonymous.
According to this anonymous witness, the lawyer immediately shouted at the sitting children when he stepped inside the carriage.
 |
| Photo credit: Facebook / Lorenz Francis D. Tanjoco |
“Tumayo kayo dyan! Umalis kayo dyan at uupo ako!” the lawyer demanded. (You stand up! Get out of that seat because I will sit down!)
The kids, ages 3 and 5, were terrified of the lawyer. Their mother, carrying a baby, was also shocked by this outrageous behavior. But the lawyer defended himself, telling everyone in the LRT carriage that he is a lawyer and a CPA; he knows the law.
He insisted that he was in the right, explaining that he is a senior citizen and has more right to sit down on the train than these kids. Knowing the law, he said that kids this age who can already stand up should stand up in favor of old people.
He even showed his senior citizen ID as proof, arguing with the angry mother that children should stand up and that the other old person in the carriage should be the one sitting. He also didn’t offer to give up his seat for the old lady, telling the kid who was still sitting beside him to stand up so the old lady could sit down.
 |
| Photo credit: Facebook / Lorenz Francis D. Tanjoco |
Other passengers told him he shouldn’t have been using the LRT because he is rich as he is a lawyer but he told them they have no right to question his choices because everyone can use the LRT and he likes this particular transport option at the moment.
After the post went viral, the lawyer was identified as Atty. Nicolas Lapuz from the Legal Department, Office of the Court Administrator at the Supreme Court.
 |
| Photo credit: Facebook / Lorenz Francis D. Tanjoco |
While Atty. Lapuz might be right when it comes to the legalities of who should be given priority at the seats of public vehicles, many believe he should have used a different approach when making the kids stand up instead of shouting at them to get off the seat. Do you agree?
— Danielle Ramos, The Summit Express
