Manila: An actress who violated traffic restrictions during an international event and bragged about it on social media had her driving licence cancelled and was ordered to pay a penalty.

Maria Isabel Lopez was prohibited from applying for a licence for a period of two years and was told to pay a total P8,000 (Dh583) in violation tickets for breaching the laws on anti-distracted driving, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signs, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) spokesperson Celine Pialogo said.

Lopez, who first made a name for herself by representing the Philippines in the 1982 Miss Universe pageant, was cast recently in controversy after she drove past roadblocks set up by authorities along the main-Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) for an international event early this month.

The barriers were installed to channel traffic and reduce the number of highway lanes usable to the public so that vehicles carrying delegates of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could move easily.

Besides driving in a special lane reserved for international delegates, Lopez, 55, also bragged about it on social media.

The post included a video clip.

“Driving with hazards “on” at the #aseanlane ߘ? I removed the divider cones !! Then all the other motorists behind me followed! MMDA thinks I’m an official ASEAN delegate! If u can’t beat ‘em, join them! #nosticker #leadership #belikemaria #pasaway #selfpreservation (sic),” she posted on Twitter.

The Land Transportation Office, in a resolution, said that Lopez’s infractions were “very serious… … o be simply swept under the rug.”

“Essentially, respondent’s violations constitute the ooffenceof reckless driving, which is defined as an act that must be something more than a mere negligence in the operation of the motor vehicle, but a wilful and wanton disregard of the consequences as what respondent manifested in the instant case,” according to the resolution.

Lopez’s acts also placed the lives of the dignitaries, other commuters and herself in danger.

“Had there been a serious mishap in involving foreign guests, it would have caused an international incident,” the resolution said.

A model for the risque Girard Peter fashion show before she became well known in the country, Lopez is no stranger to controversy. After being crowned Miss Philippines-Universe, she went on to star in adult films.

She graduated to mainstream movies and was one of the actresses in the hit film, Working Girls.

In recent years, she lived as a low-profile actress and made appearances in evening drama series.