Jason Ivler: The road to his rage

Posted at 10:57 am February 02, 2010

Tags: Crime and Punishment, General News

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By Alexander Villafania

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MANILA, METRO MANILA — When Jason Ivler shot it out with agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last January 18, it was already obvious that he was not going down without a fight. He was armed to the teeth, wearing a bullet-proof vest and holding a .45 caliber revolver and the more fearsome M-16 rifle. He was also alleged to have said that he wanted to die after being subdued by NBI agents.

In the following days, Ivler became a celebrity of sorts, his face being flashed in just about every TV and newspaper in the country. Some people put up fan sections for Ivler in the popular social networking site Facebook. Entertainment journalists were jumping into the fray. It doesn’t come as a surprise since his mother, Marlene Aguilar-Pollard, is the younger sister of Filipno musician Freddie Aguilar. What’s more ironic is that Ivler’s uncle sang the felicitous song “Anak.”

In many media interviews granted by Marlene, the beleaguered mother said that she nor her son regret anything. She also said she would take a bullet for her son and sees him as incapable of evil, more than anything else, just like what any loving mother would do for her son. But in later interviews, Marlene dropped statements that have been perceived by many as bordering on madness. In particular, she claimed a conspiracy to blame her son for the death of Renato Ebarle Jr. According to her, a former bodyguard — British national named Mark Hauser — set her son up to be captured. In later news stories such as the one published in the Manila Bulletin, (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/239801/nbi-says-no-evidence-link-aguilar-s-guard-ebarle-slay ) there was no evidence linking Hauser to the incident.

And yet Marlene continues her crusade to vindicate her son. In her interview with Boy Abunda in the TV Show “The Buzz,” Marlene stressed that her son is not a killer, that he grew up in a loving family, and that even if her son dies, she would still fight for him.

Ivler’s first brush with the law was in 2004 (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Aug/24/ln/ln09a.html) when he was accused of shooting Presidential Assistant for Resettlement Undersecretary Nestor Ponce, Jr. after a traffic altercation. History did repeat itself five years later when Ivler was accused of shooting Ebarle, who is also the son of a close aide of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

But, as the cliche goes, truth is stranger than fiction. Marlene pictured her son as a wonderful person. Even Ivler’s uncle, Freddie, said that he was the quiet type and not one to start a fight. Some of his friends in the entertainment industry, such as actress Paloma, also defended him and said he was very friendly.

But for whatever reason, Jason Ivler still snapped not just once but twice, while he was on the road. Road rage is a big problem and the United States, which even has its own annual road rage survey https://www.autovantage.com) called the Driver’s Seat Road Rage Survey. Last year, New York was named America’s Road Rage Capital (http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/06/new_york_finall.php). In Europe, the United Kingdom is tagged as the road rage capital of that continent (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britain-is-road-rage-capital-of-europe-718845.html) and seems to hold to that title even after 10 years. Asia’s growing economies, most especially China (http://www.newsweek.com/id/47812 ), are not immune to road rage.

Closer to home, there are many incidences of road rage. Manila’s traffic situation is getting worse, making drivers more jittery on the road. Because of lack of proper road signs, lack of respect for traffic enforcers compounded by rising fuel prices, drivers literally raise their tempers until they explode into a fit of rage. In the past years, there had been several sensational stories in the Philippines about road rage. Local car magazine Top Gear Philippines compiled a few of these (http://www.topgear.com.ph/features/feature-articles/5-most-alarming-roadrage-cases-in-the-philippines).

Road rage can be a nightmare if an angry motorist brings his temper beyond merely screaming and shouting. Psychiatrists and traffice enforcement groups advise motorists to maintain their cool even if they are in a bad traffic situation. Still, doing it is more difficult than saying it. The US National Motorist Association (NMA) has several suggestions (http://blog.motorists.org/how-to-deal-with-road-rage/) on how motorists can manage their anger. Below are simple methods in dealing with road rage:

1. First and foremost, be a courteous driver.

2. Never tailgate.

3. Do not glare at other drivers or make rude gestures

4. Avoid mean-spirited actions

When faced with an angry motorist, the NMA also highlighted several ways to prevent the problem from worsening:

1. If a guy rolls down his window and starts cursing at you, do not respond.

2. Keep your window rolled up and avoid eye contact.

3. Get moving — and get away — as soon as you can.

4. Never, ever get out of your car to “discuss” things with another motorist. We live in a crazy age, and you could find yourself looking down the barrel of a gun. Or facing some loon with a baseball bat.

5. Just drive on. In the event you get followed, don’t drive home or stop your car.

6. Find a cop and get his attention — or use your cell phone to dial 911 (166 in the Philippines).

7. If possible, let your harasser see you talking on the phone; that’s often enough to make him break off.

8. If no cop is around and you are frightened by someone attempting to follow you, stay on well-traveled roads. Avoid pulling off onto a side street.

9. If you can find a busy shopping center parking lot or similar public place where people are milling about — go there and see if the person follows you. If he does, honk your horn repeatedly to attract the attention of passers-by and — hopefully — security patrols. It’s not likely you pursuer will stick with you.

10. If you can, jot down the plate number of the car, as well as the make, model and color.

11. File a police report if the encounter seemed serious enough to warrant that.