As far away as Tokyo…

TOKYO, Japan –  As far away as Tokyo may be, it seems there is no stopping the sumbong or complaints from Filipinos back home.

For starters, a high ranking PNP official did not seem to mind the cost of texting me in Japan just to share and vent about the continuing saga of tourists and OFWs falling victim to the “Laglag bala” gang who plants live bullets on people’s belongings or person and frame them up for illegal possession of live ammunition. The PNP officer claims that the latest case was a Japanese tourist who was “caught” with two live bullets in his jacket.

The presumption is that the guy either went to a firing range and forgot the bullets, or that the Laglag bala gang got to him. Personally I suspect the bullets were planted by devious freelancing bodyguards who decided to frame their dumb client by planting the bullets and tipping off their corrupt contacts at the airport. Readers and authorities might recall that there was a time many years ago when people would get robbed outside the airport until authorities figured out that the victims either declared their cash in excess of $10,000 or changed a lot of money at some Forex window where there were insiders tipping off the robbers waiting in cars.

In the text message I got, the PNP officer was apparently annoyed that the term “police” was referred to in the complaints. The public is not generally aware that there is a different “police” authority inside the NAIA, but the PNP gets dragged into the case. After all the Senate investigations made about NAIA, why has it never occurred to members of Congress to review and change the charter or whatever law allows NAIA to maintain a separate police force and a separate office for transport security? The fact that a PNP official saw the need to ask me as a member of media to pay attention to the problem confirms what many airport veterans have always said: the NAIA operates like a kingdom of its own and in spite of the criminality within, the PNP and NBI are powerless to conduct independent and unhampered investigations. If cops are concerned about the criminality inside the NAIA, we the citizens have reason to be afraid.

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With “11 cargo containers full of undelivered vehicle plates stuck at the Port of Manila,” with a COA memorandum disallowing the procurement of the unfunded project, and a Manila court placing a TRO on another LTO transaction, one government official who doesn’t seem to have much luck in office is Asec. Alfonso Tan of the Land Transportation Office. Even here in Tokyo I heard from members of motoring media that Tan’s career at the LTO is comparable to a dump truck that hit a concrete wall. Among all LTO chiefs Tan has had the worst of luck with car registration stickers, plate numbers, Senate investigation, COA reports and court injunctions.

Just when I thought he had licked the problem of not having stickers to issue for car plates, I recently got my registration receipt that was stamped “no sticker” along with a number to call to follow up on. Last week another court issued yet another injunction that puts a stop to the issuance of drivers license cards. So this week, frontline employees of the LTO are mentally preparing themselves for the backlash from the public who are fed up with non-delivery of materials they already paid for.

Out here in Tokyo I even got complaints and sumbong about a very recent meeting that Asec. Tan had with various transportation stake holders at the Bulwagang Romeo Edu last Monday the 26th. My source claims that Asec. Tan seemed to get agitated by pointed concerns and inquiries. Every time someone asked about the sensitive topic of stickers, plastic cards for licenses, new plate numbers or the Motor Vehicle Inspection System, my source said that Asec. Tan would throw the “ball” back at the person asking a question by answering with a question such as “what do you think?” or “what do you suggest I should do.” The source added that all Tan seemed to be interested in was explaining why all the backlog was not their fault but another agency. I can’t blame Tan for being testy since he now faces a case with the Ombudsman for “dereliction of duty” in failing to implement the MVIS or Motor Vehicle Inspection requirements.

 Asec. Tan seems to overlook the fact that he is now in a highly visible and PR sensitive position where his speech, demeanor, and sincerity all plays into how people will react, support or oppose him and the LTO. To be fair, Tan and his crew are trying “desperately” to solve the problems at the LTO but during the process no one remembered to tell Tan that the phrase “Desperate times call for desperate measures” is often illegal, disallowed and rarely works in government. Given all the legal, bureaucratic and legislative entanglements, perhaps it is time for Tan and the LTO to change strategies especially whom he strategizes with. So far all he’s been getting is grief, not relief.

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“Lagareng Hapon” or bi-directional saw is what some cab drivers are now calling some MMDA enforcers  for their practice of taking bribes from arrested drivers and still entering the violation as a non-contact “arrest.” It seems that a number of cab drivers have been victimized by MMDA enforcers who arrest them, collect a bribe and then let them go. When it’s time to re-register their cabs, they discover that the enforcer still entered their violation into their computer system. Resulting in unpaid fines and an “alarm” being tagged to your number plate. One angry cab driver told me that he had three violations that were entered as “non-contact” tickets all of which he had paid a bribe and then a fine for every count. Ironically in such cases it is the “mahirap” who is also the corrupt.

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