My friend was recently cruising on the main road from Sales Bridge after Villamor Air Base going to Fort Bonifacio at around 10 a.m. when she noticed behind her a VIP convoy. It was composed of a police escort, a Black Ford Expedition with the number 7 on its license plate (presumably owned by a senator) and two AUV vehicles sporting government plates with blinkers and sirens blaring, signaling her to move aside. Since it was impossible to move to the right because many jeepneys were not moving on that lane, she didn't budge. When traffic became light, the police escort went to the left side of her car and hit her side mirror, folding it in the process.
Are these officials now the knigs of the road? We citizens pay for their vehicles, their transportation expenses and their salaries. We also pay our taxes so we can use our roads. In civilized countries, such behavior by public officials is condemned and they are punished posthaste. Here, government VIP convoys bullying thier way in traffic is accepted as part of our daily lives. After witnessing incidents like these and hearing and reading about rampant graft and abuse of power in government, it is no wonder many of us do not respect nor trust our top officials.
(First published in the Metro section, Citizen's call, Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 2,2008)
Monday, June 02, 2008
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