No amount of reminders or prodding by the President to government officials and employees to take the lead in obeying traffic rules and be models of road discipline can make them toe the line.
Politicians, particularly lawmakers and local chief executives, are notorious for being the first and top violators of such rules. Why? Because they think they are above the law. They also believe that their every schedule– dining, dates, family outings and even trysts, are utmost urgency for the country and therefore they should not be apprehended for any violation, extending this privilege even to their family drivers, relatives and friends.
The dedicated EDSA Bus Carousel Lane is one good avenue for high publicity traffic violations and politicians like to be caught in them because everyone’s eyes are looking and many enforcers are there at any given time (reporters/photographers even waiting for a snap or story).
The President, in his YouTube channel, explained that improving traffic infrastructure alone won’t solve the traffic problem as he emphasized the importance of road discipline, with government officials leading by example.
“Yan ang kailangan simulan sa aming hanay ng mga nasa gobyerno. Ang pang-aabuso at pagbabalewala sa batas trapiko ay hindi prebelehiyo na kasama sa sinumpaan naming mga lingkod bayan.”
“Pangungunahan ng pamahalaan at lahat ng mga ahensya nito ang pagiging disiplinado sa ating mga lansangan,” he added.
Last January 12, 2024, the Philippine Star reported that drivers of vehicles with protocol plate numbers “7” for senators and “8” for congressmen were among the 30 motorists who illegally entered the EDSA bus lane yesterday, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.
The owners of the vehicles were not identified. MMDA Special Operations Group Strike Force chief Gabriel Go told The STAR that identification “is outside our mandate unless they are involved in road accidents.”
A sport utility vehicle (SUV) bearing protocol plate “7” with “19th Congress” and “R2” entered the bus lane along the EDSA-Ortigas area yesterday morning, the MMDA said adding that the driver surrendered his license and accepted the citation ticket issued by a traffic enforcer, said Go.
The MMDA said the protocol plate “8” belonged to a black SUV whose driver also accepted the violation ticket.
From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. yesterday, MMDA enforcers apprehended along the busway 30 motorists, including a basketball player, members of the Philippine National Police and those driving government marked vehicles from the Department of National Defense and Philippine Marine Corps.
Traffic enforcers could not determine if the erring motorists were repeat offenders as the MMDA personnel were using manual citation tickets, Go said.
Motorists who violate the EDSA bus lane policy will pay hefty fines: P5,000 on first offense; P10,000, one month suspension of driver’s license and mandatory attendance in a road safety seminar on second offense; P20,000 and suspension of driver’s license for a year on third offense, and P30,000 and possible revocation of driver’s license on succeeding offenses.
Buses, ambulances, fire trucks, police vehicles as well as the convoys of the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chief Justice are authorized to use the EDSA busway.
The President in his pleading to state personnel said “heavy traffic has already become part of every Filipinos’ daily grind, especially those living in urban, highly populated areas. This has affected their lifestyle, however, from leaving the house at least two hours earlier, to a perceived culture of what has been considered as the negative connotation of “Filipino time” or always being late for a meeting.”
Some unscrupulous politicians and other officials have even used blinkers and sirens or “wang-wang” on their vehicles even though these are basically prohibited by law (which the late former President Noynoy Aquino has successfully removed from the roads but it returned during the time of President
Only vehicles authorized to use blinkers and sirens are police and military vehicles, ambulances, and fire trucks.
Bus Lane Violators
The most high profile violators of the EDSA bus line in April were former Ilocos Sur Gov. (now just a council member) who flaunted his apologies by saying he would schedule a meeting with their boss so he can hand his P100,000 cash reward for the accosters.
A few days later, on April 11, a driver of the family member of Senator Chiz Escudero– using his protocol plate “7” breezed through the dedicated bus lane but did not face the enforcers and just left his expired driver’s permit.
Escudero the following day said he would ask the driver to report to the Land Transport Office to pay the fine and apologize for his misdeed. He did not even say who was aboard the black SUV.
Such is the impunity being touted by our top officials and by extension their family drivers, friends and relatives.But when a law is violated by the ordinary citizen, they are subjected to abusive shouts and treated like criminals. Double standard, really.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #ColumnbyRosedelaCruz #BareTruth