Junk drug testing for driver’s license

Now that we have a new boss at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) it is time that some of the actions of the past director be reviewed. One good example of an innovation that must be junked is the requirement for those applying for a driver’s license to go through a drug test. This is an unabashed conspiracy to defraud the public of money for no good reason. This drug test is definitely not going to accomplish its purpose, anyway.

This thought came to mind as I saw a news clip on television one night last week showing the new LTO chief warning the drug test clinics to clean up their act or else... Apparently, they have discovered anomalies committed in the drug test procedure so soon after it was initiated. If the TV news story is to be believed, these anomalies include among others, substitution of results or urine specimen or both. In other words, if you are a drug user, you can pay your way towards getting an all-clear report.

Actually, the concept of drug testing itself is flawed from the start. This is not a cost efficient way of weeding out drug addicts among our drivers. This is just a way to make money, lots of money on the drug test itself. If the LTO officials are really sincere, the requirement should be selectively implemented to cover drivers who are caught by traffic cops in so called "moving violations." The penalty may include the drug test.

If they want to be really cost effective, they should start with the bus drivers on EDSA who violate every rule in the traffic code every minute of the day. The way those drivers drive, they have to be on drugs. At night, they can also go to Libis and other areas where drag racing is held during the wee hours of the night. But it makes absolutely no sense to make ordinary law abiding drivers go through the expense and the waste of time just so some bureaucrat at LTO and his friends can make a fast buck.

General Lastimoso as a former police officer, must surely know the real score and will decide to spare the innocent from the inconvenience. Somebody must be on the take in this drug test requirement. It is much too obvious simply because this is a useless exercise. This is rent-seeking, plain and simple.

Davide court

It is heartening to note that the judicial branch of government under the leadership of Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilarion Davide is moving fast to make the court system relevant to the needs of the country today. The institutionalization of the mediation system to reduce the backlog of cases is one good initiative. Creating a separate special division in the Sandiganbayan to try the Erap cases is another good initiative. A number of high profile business cases are also being quickly resolved in favor of encouraging greater competition, as is called for in our free enterprise system.

One of the disincentives to business in this country that is often cited by investors is our judiciary. Corruption and the amount of time that a case takes before it is finally resolved by the Supreme Court discourage investors. The banking industry just the other week denounced the reckless use by lower court judges of their power to issue restraining orders. This is getting in the way of revitalizing our banking sector. I am confident that the Chief Justice has taken notice of the complaint and will soon announce a remedy.

We have not had a more proactive Chief Justice in a long while in this country. We are lucky to have Chief Justice Davide at this crucial time. I don’t want to give the Chief Justice any political motives for being "on the ball." But I can’t resist making the observation that if he keeps this up, he may be just the one we need to elect in 2004. His record of public service that is unblemished by even a rumor of the most minor of improprieties is almost unbelievable for a public official.

Then again, it is just 2002 and the last thing he needs now is for potential rivals to gang up on him. But he does seem like the perfect one to lead and inspire us...

SSS money

A reported plan to use SSS money to finance housing projects for the poor bothers me. It seems to me that whoever the President of this country is, he or she ends up looking at SSS funds as government funds they can play around with as they please.

While a housing program for the poor is socially desirable, it is not right to use SSS funds for it. They forget SSS funds belong to its members. It is bad enough that its resources could hardly enable it to provide social security to its members. Why should its meager resources now be tapped for a wider social amelioration project that should rightfully be underwritten by all the taxpayers?

They should keep their hands off the trust funds of workers, both the SSS and the GSIS. Government as manager of the trust funds must resist the temptation to think of these funds as government funds they can use to benefit a wider group of beneficiaries.

In fact, the problem they should confront now is, how to make the ridiculous levels of assistance available to members more in line with the peso’s value (or lack of it) today.

Can’t say goodbye

A woman with 14 children, ages one through fourteen, decided to sue her husband for divorce on grounds of desertion.

"When did he desert you," the judge asked.

"Thirteen years ago," she replied.

"If he left 13 years ago, where did all the children come from?"

"Well," said the woman," he kept coming back to say he was sorry."

(Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected])