How I took the MMDA on and kind of won

MANILA, Philippines - May pulis, may pulis sa ilalim ng tulay…”

I really wish I were singing the novelty song at that moment, to make the situation more movie-perfect. There I was, in high spirits, fresh from a good lunch in Serendra, thinking about what a great day I was having. I’m sure the rest of the driving population can relate when I say it all turned around and changed for the worse after I was pulled over for Jesus-knows-what-this-time.

I was apprehended for violating the number coding scheme along McKinley Road, where I thought window hours were implemented. Actually, I was pretty sure I was safe from any tickets because I tweeted at the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), arguably the authority most associated with number coding, to verify it. However, a man in dark blue waved at me and motioned for me to pull over halfway down the road. “Ma’am, coding po kayo.” Huh? Isn’t the window until 3 p.m.? “Kuya, 2:30 palang. Diba may window hanggang 3? Nagtanong ako sa MMDA, may window daw dito.” To which he replied, “Ma’am, hindi po ‘to jurisdiction ng MMDA. Makati po dito.” Damn it.

To make the long story short, I still broke the rules because Makati Police Safety Assistance (MAPSA) has mandate over the area. As many of you know, unlike many cities in the metro, there is no coding window in Makati. A few minutes of arguing, and even crying got me nowhere; a ticket was issued, my license was confiscated, and my day was ruined. It was frustrating because I wasn’t sneaking around, hoping an enforcer wouldn’t spot me. I really thought I was in the right this time, based on the information I got. Yeah, it was from a tweet, but how else do you reach MMDA anyway? Plus, when you think a credible source is answering your question, it’s safe to think that the answer’s reliable. It’s not like I was asking about rocket science or anything.

Furious, I drove home and vented on my blog. A friend came across my post and suggested that I write MMDA a complaint about it. I thought about it, not sure if it was going to do much anyway, but finally e-mailed them after a week. A couple of days later, I got a text forwarded from Corazon Jimenez, their general manager expressing regret for what happened. Then, I got two e-mails from the head of the MMDA Twitter Team, Atty. Yves Gonzales, apologizing and explaining certain things regarding the incident. That same afternoon, the team itself sent me a direct message over Twitter, yet again saying sorry and promising that it won’t happen again. I really wasn’t anticipating a swift response, and to that degree, too.

In the spirit of fairness, I decided to blog about my e-mail and their replies. And well, in the spirit of self-promotion, I posted the link on my Facebook profile page. What happened next was pretty unexpected.

I was getting comments on both my Facebook and my blog. My friends were sharing the link, e-mailing it to others—someone even printed it out! A couple of guys shared that they had done similar efforts in voicing out their concern to authorities (but unfortunately on their end, not getting a favorable reply). Quite a number told me what a bold move that was on my part, and also how they admired what MMDA had done—being accountable for what happened, admitting their fault, and apologizing for the mistake.

I realized that the incident got so much attention because of how unusual it is for us to hear of stories like this. We’ve gotten so jaded that we hardly want to lift a finger to correct even little mistakes. Oftentimes, we don’t want to complain anymore because it falls on deaf ears. But actually, maybe we just don’t let it reach the right people, and so nothing is done about the issue. A former teacher always said that Filipinos get crappy service in a lot of establishments because we tolerate it. I’m not saying that we should all go up in arms against them, but it’s also our responsibility to give valuable, informative, and constructive feedback. While it’s true that they are there to help you, you also have to help them know how to.

So next time, instead of just posting a random rant, or the color of your underwear, or where you like to put your bag, think about how you can make a practical impact. Just get to your point and let the people who need to hear it, actually hear it. The effort doesn’t have to be epic, but you never know, the results might just be.

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The full story, including the e-mails on http://dailygrind9.wordpress.com