About pushers and toll roads

In the late ’70s someone crafted the phrase “Punish the User, Jail the Pusher” to bring focus to the fact that the real criminal of all criminals are drug pushers who provide the mind altering chemicals that push people into becoming bolder, stronger and more violent criminals who lose all sense of restraint. The message truly made sense because, back then, there was a tendency to “go hard” on simple drug users as if they were the scourge of the earth, even if back then most of the drugs were organic or not known to induce violent episodes.

Nowadays, the industrial type drugs such as “Crack” or “Shabu” is far more dangerous in terms of being mind altering drugs not to mention the fact that they are so cheap and adulterated that many common criminals eventually evolve or graduate to becoming stone cold rapists of their own children or family members. Many violent murders, robberies and homicides have been attributed to the deadly mix of alcohol and Shabu.

The recent murder of a UST graduate is just one of thousands upon thousands of cases that started out as a would be hold-up that escalated to a would have been rape but culminated in a heinous act of cold-blooded murder. To the credit of the Philippine National Police, the two criminals were quickly arrested and chances are the investigators will soon declare the matter as “Case Closed”. Or is it?

The truth of the matter is that so many cases are not really closed because the police have only arrested criminals directly involved in a specific crime. In this case they can accurately say that the “drug “users” are now and will continue to be punished. But what about the thousands of drug pushers who are directly responsible for providing the drugs that have led people to rape their own flesh and blood, kill their own parents or siblings, or commit murders most foul? It is bad enough that they have commercially profited from the pain and horror of millions of Filipinos, but to let each one of them go untouched is the biggest crime of them all.

Every time a criminal is caught and they confess that they did it because of the influence of drugs, the police or any law enforcer has a unique opportunity to follow the trail or the chain that links the criminal to the pusher. All the cops need to do is get the criminals to finger or flip their pusher. At the moment the PNP truly deserves praise for solving many crimes in relatively short periods of time. But I’m sure that they can get even more praise and commendations if they also manage to haul in the “criminal of criminals” and jail the pushers. In fact it would be a good opportunity for Generals Bartolome and Espina to push for deeper arrests. Why settle with arresting “prostitutes” but never the pimps? Why settle with criminal users but never the pushers.

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In relation to the recent brutal murder of the UST graduate, No one, especially Mayors and Barangay Captains can deny that the current system where local governments have been allowed to “regulate” tricycles and tricycle drivers is officially a disaster. There have been too many cases of “tricycle drivers” abducting or way laying female passengers even school girls and raping and killing them. I’m sure that in terms of statistics, the incidents would seem insignificant compared to the probable millions of drivers on the road.

Nonetheless, it is time for the DILG and national authorities to review the current practice in terms of how much regulatory action is actually performed by LGUs in order to insure that only qualified and safe drivers operate tricycles. Unlike 4-wheel public utilities, tricycles are far too many and too much a part of our communities to take regulatory responsibilities for granted. Mayors and Barangay officials should be made to accountable for crimes that happen because of their failure to do their work.

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What is the point in spending millions of pesos for “infrastructure” but not use it or make money from it?

When residents in the “Levitown” area in Lipa City called my attention to ask when the STAR TOLL Expressway intended to open the on ramp/off ramp at the Sto.Toribio overpass of STAR TOLL, I assumed that it was an appeal to build a new exit nearer the mid-section of greater Lipa City. After two inquiries, my contact for the STAR TOLL failed to get back to me on the issue so last Friday, I decided to take a mystery tour of the site and I now understand why many people in the area have grown impatient and unhappy with the present situation.

To begin with, there is only one exit from the STAR TOLL for most motorists going to Lipa and that is on the southern edge past the City center on the way to Batangas City. While this is good if you want to go to the city, it is quite far for most of the residents of Lipa who are in the eastern and southern part. People coming from Manila who need to go to the northern side or middle Lipa have to take the Malvar/Bulihan exit which forces them to go through the town of Malvar passing a couple of factories and industrial complex where there is usually a lot of traffic, as well as slow moving vehicles such as tricycles and parked vehicles along the old highway. This route certainly costs them time and fuel instead of the Toll road.

The irony of the matter is that the STAR TOLL ramps at the Sto. Toribio overpass have been in existence probably as long as the expressway itself and can be put into use in a matter of two months or less. All that’s needed are toll booths and the manpower to operate them. The STAR TOLL could even cut down expense by only having a collecting booth and no longer a card issuer. I would imagine that all the people living in “middle” Lipa would rather pass through Sto. Toribio instead of the town of Malvar or the far edge of Lipa City. This would also help ease up traffic congestion that builds up as a result of the number of vehicles simply “passing through”.

Perhaps it’s time for Congressman Dong Mendoza, Governor Vilma Santos-Recto, Vice Governor Mark Leviste and Lipa Mayor Sabili to chant “Lets Bolt In!” and call on the management of STAR TOLL to make use of what is already there, for the convenience of the many residents of middle Lipa.