Just recently, a friend of ours sent us a this photo of a bus billowing smoke into our air. Of course, this is a normal sight on our highly polluted streets, but when you take a closer look, you’ll notice that it’s not one of those for hire buses that ply the commercial routes; it’s an MMDA vehicle.
What the hell?
Most of us just dismiss this sight as another common sight of government ineptitude and corruption, but seriously, this can really get to someone who owns a car. You see, like every other car owner out there who actually takes care of his car, I spend a good chunk of my salary on keeping my car in shape, especially when it comes to the engine and mechanicals. I go to the Land Transportation Office every year, spend more good money to have my car tested for exhaust emission compliance, and then I see this picture. If you own a car, you should be angry too.
Our country has such well-written laws, in this case the Clean Air Act of 1999 (R.A. 8749), but somewhere along the way, the implementation gets twisted and contorted in ways that allow sights like these to exist… by a government vehicle, no less.
That’s not all. I’ve got 4 letters for you: A. S. B. U. If your pick up or SUV runs on diesel, please, don’t smash your monitor right now. These ASBU (Anti-Smoke Belching Units) are probably the most corrupt guys around nowadays. As much as I admire the efforts of the MMDA to clean up the act of their traffic enforcers, ASBU is a different matter altogether.
One time I was able to observe how these guys operate, with their usual checkpoints along Kalayaan Avenue near C-5 in Makati. It should have been simple: they stand in the middle of the road, flag down a suspected smoke belcher, slap on the emission testing gear and write a ticket if they’re found in violation of the emissions standards. However, what’s unusual is the type of vehicles they apprehend. Of course there are the usual medium to heavy duty trucks and Tamaraw FX-type PUVs, but not once do they flag down a jeepney, even if it is clearly puffing away a cloud thick, sooty black smoke. Insert cough here.
It’s selective enforcement at its most obvious. Yes, they can’t possibly catch everyone, which means they get the most explicit violators, but when you see the worst smoke belchers go scot free, then that’s a big problem. There are many theories about why jeepney drivers get away with it, from pleas of poverty, ignorance, or just the fact that they’re from Makati… meaning they’re voters, and the Mayor of Makati sure takes care of his loyal voters.
Most of the time, laws, rules, regulations, city and barangay ordinances are an inconvenience because honestly, who likes to be told how to do this or that? But nevertheless, we all have to follow them because as inconvenienced as we may be, those laws are meant to instill a sense of order. When certain individuals blatantly violate them and get away with it, most especially by those within government, then those laws are just a waste of taxpayers’ money and paper.
I’ve always believed that the best way to see how really effective, efficient and just the system of governance is in a country can be done by taking a drive on its roads. Our government, at many levels, really doesn’t seem to know the rule of law. Our relatively new President has promised many things, but I’ve yet to see some real results, and I’m sure many of you would certainly agree. Sure, the wang-wangs are gone (mostly, anyway), but showing a true change and improvement of our system entails more than just offering a token to grab headlines.
Lead by example, please.
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Vince Pornelos
Associate Editor
www.autoindustriya.com
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