We need laws to instill discipline among drivers

We read that report on the Business Section of The Philippine STAR last Monday which was headlined, “Noy wants RP to be at par with neighbors.” This only shows that P-Noy’s dreams and aspirations are very similar to our dreams of what the Philippines should have been or should be in the near future. However this is easier said than done and perhaps the best way to start this objective is through what P-Noy has already been doing . . . with the “wang wang” issue, where even the President of the Philippines has shown to all motorists that he is not above the law!

Right now, Filipino drivers are considered one of the worst in the world simply because they can get away with almost any road violation. When I used to run (gratis et amore) the Cebu City Traffic Office and Management (CITOM) we had difficulty in disciplining our drivers simply because the drivers get their license from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the public utility companies get their franchises from the Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and this bureaucratic conglomeration isn’t really in full control over the entire country.

Hence, I once proposed a Metro Cebu Traffic Authority (MCTA) in order to professionalize traffic management, its enforcers and above all, have a full control of the people driving on the road. Unfortunately, this idea didn’t blossom into a bill under then Rep. Raul del Mar because the political leadership of Cebu wanted to be on top of this body. This is the problem of this country . . . too many politicians even want control of traffic management, something that can be done by professional managers.

So if P-Noy wants the Philippines to be like our ASEAN neighbors, just look at the way their motorists drive their vehicles and you will see discipline in their streets. P-Noy has started the ball rolling with the “wang-wang” issue, but he must make a follow through plans and programs that would instill discipline among our Filipino drivers.

I propose further for Congress to enact a “Strike-three, you’re out!” policy . . . meaning, erring drivers who violate any traffic rule three times within a year would have their license automatically revoked, which means they have to start all over again to get a new driver’s license and violators of the strike three you’re out rule can only be given a new license for six months. If P-Noy embraces this idea, then our ASEAN neighbors would finally see traffic discipline in our streets and if he can rein in our undisciplined drivers, he can discipline anyone!

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There’s been a lot of noise about the proposed postponement of the Barangay and the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections as proposed by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile in order to save the government a lot of money and there is no question that their motives are noble. But if you ask me, it is rather late in the hour for this postponement, unless the Senate sets a timetable to create or enact the Barangay Reform bill, that could led to a genuine political reform for this lowest form of government. 

If Sen. President Enrile merely wants a postponement to save money and merely to move back the timetable, I think this is a wrong move because it would mean giving incompetent Barangay officials additional days in power that they do not deserve. Sure, there are those who deserve to stay in power and they deserve to be re-elected. But those corrupt and incompetent ones should never be allowed to stay one more day in their official roles.

As for the SK, I have written volumes why the SK should be disbanded and now, we’re getting the support from a very credible group called the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) who backed the calls for the abolition of the SK and instead, the youth sector should be added as one of the Barangay council members. This alone would be an enormous way for the government to save money.

So will the Senate come up with a law that would totally overhaul the Barangays and abolish the SK? If this is what they plan to do, then I fully support the calls for the postponement of the Barangay elections. But if they merely want a postponement without enacting any reforms for the Barangay, then, let’s bite the bullet and hold the Barangay and SK elections in October.

Of course the youth who are now deeply involved in the SK are protesting their coming demise. So now, can they give us some concrete examples of what the SK has done in the past that would make us say that we should keep the SK rather than abolish it? So far, we only saw the negatives of SK and it is time to ask, what has the SK done for our youth? What we are seeing are many of our youth joining fraternities that have gone to war with each other. This is not what we want our youth to be experiencing in these times. Let the youth join the Boy and Girl’s Scouts and change will come!

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