Before diving into the story, I have to apologize for my rough voice and sore throat in this video—I've been feeling under the weather, but I really wanted to share this incident because it highlights a crazy reality about driving here in the Philippines.
It happened in Dumanjug, the neighbouring town to Ronda, where I live with my family. My wife Jessa and I had just finished shopping at the local mall and were driving towards our son Liam’s school. It was a short stretch of road, barely two to three hundred meters. I was driving casually at around 35 to 40 km/h. As I approached the intersection to turn off towards the school, I did what any responsible driver would do: I turned on my signal light, checked my rear-view mirror, and eased off the gas pedal to start slowing down.
I didn't even get the chance to touch the brake pedal. Suddenly, there was a violent bang, and the entire car jolted forward. Something had smashed hard into the back of our vehicle.
If you’ve driven in the Philippines, you already know that traffic rules often feel more like "friendly suggestions" than strict laws. Mirrors are rarely used, and people pull right out into traffic without glancing behind them. Hearing screaming and shouting immediately after the impact, my worst fear was that someone had darted out from the roadside, hit our flank, and gotten caught under our wheels.
Jessa and I jumped out of the car. Luckily, my worst fears hadn't materialized, but the scene was still a mess. A young boy and a woman—who turned out to be his mother—were picking themselves up off the tarmac near the road’s edge. Their motorbike lay on its side, leaking fuel and pretty heavily damaged.
Looking at my car, the motorbike’s handlebar had smashed directly into my right rear taillight, shattering the plastic completely. It was baffling to me because there was zero other traffic on that straight stretch; to hit us right there required an absolute absence of situational awareness. And predictably: neither of them wore a helmet.
The police showed up quickly. Since Liam needed to be dropped off at school, Jessa spoke with the officers, took the car to deliver Liam, and then came back to pick me up. While waiting, the other party was huddled around the officers explaining their side. When I walked over, I kept my statement simple and direct: “I signaled to turn toward the school, and while slowing down, they rear-ended me.” In almost every country in the world, rear-ending someone makes you automatically at fault. The officers knew it immediately.
We all headed down to the police station near the mall to settle things. Before going in, Jessa and I agreed on our stance: if the mother and son were genuinely apologetic and behaved decently, we wouldn’t demand money or press charges. An aftermarket replacement taillight costs around 2,500 pesos, and I can install it myself in 20 minutes. But if they became hostile or tried to blame us, we were fully prepared to demand genuine parts (probably costing 10,000 to 15,000 pesos) plus garage labor and file a formal case.
Fortunately, they didn't try to cause trouble. The mother entered the room practically in tears, apologizing profusely. Seeing her remorse, we stood by our word: we told the police investigator that we wouldn't file any claims and would cover our own taillight repair. Dealing with formal claims, court filings, and insurance bureaucracy in the Philippines eats up months of your life; if damages are minor, I’d much rather absorb the small cost and move forward with peace of mind.
However, one part of the whole ordeal genuinely didn't sit right with me.
Because we chose not to file a private case, the police simply let the young rider walk away completely scot-free. He had no driver’s license. He had no helmet. His passenger had no helmet. I seriously doubt the motorcycle was properly registered, and he looked underage to even be operating a bike.
Coming from Norway, if you get caught riding without a license and without a helmet—let alone causing a collision—you face severe penalties, massive fines, or weeks in community service making shipping pallets. Yet here, simply because the victim decides not to pursue monetary compensation, state law enforcement drops everything. The driver faces zero legal consequences, meaning no lesson is learned.
While I’m relieved everyone walked away without serious injury, and our repair is an easy fix, it leaves you with mixed feelings about road safety and accountability out here on the islands.
