This is one of the minor perks of being a member of Congress: special license plates that virtually exempt the lawmaker from traffic laws because the typical traffic enforcer avoids tangling with passengers of vehicles with “8” protocol plates.
Like many privileges enjoyed by public officials in this country, this one is often abused. Worse, because vehicles with “8” license plates are almost immune from being pulled over by cops or stopped at security checkpoints, crooks know such plates come in handy during crime operations. Cops who raided a house purportedly used by suspects in the attack at the House of Representatives that killed Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar later presented “8” license plates, together with items such as guns and motorcycles, which the police said were seized from the suspects.
Whether stolen or fake, such license plates can only worsen the image of Congress when vehicles bearing the plates are used to break the law. The House should also improve its regulation of the special license plates. Only incumbent members of Congress are supposed to use the plates. These must be given up upon retirement from the legislature, or else new ones with different designs must be issued for every Congress.
The traffic mess in Metro Manila has made commemorative and VIP plates invaluable in ensuring that certain privileged individuals can be on time for their appointments. This is fine if the appointments involve urgent matters of state. But it’s not unusual for vehicles with VIP plates to be used just to make sure the wife finishes her shopping on time so the driver won’t be late in picking up the kids from school.
Officials in charge of enforcing traffic rules have had some success in clamping down on the use of commemorative and other special plates. But officials have tiptoed around the abuse or misuse of congressional protocol plates. To improve their public image, and for their own safety, lawmakers themselves should initiate efforts to curb those abuses.