President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, in his inaugural speech delivered last 30 June 2010, pointed out something close to my heart — the siren, better known as the “wangwang”.
Kayo ba ay minsan ring nalimutan ng pamahalaang inyong iniluklok sa puwesto? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay nagtiis na sa trapiko para lamang masingitan ng isang naghahari-hariang de-wangwang sa kalsada? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay sawang-sawa na sa pamahalaang sa halip na magsilbi sa taumbayan ay kailangan pa nila itong pagpasensiyahan at tiisin? Ako rin. x x x Ngayon, sa araw na ito – dito magwawakas ang pamumunong manhid sa mga daing ng taumbayan. x x x (full text)
It’s close to my heart not because I have a wangwang, but because I support any move to ban it. Last year I seriously contemplated a people’s initiative, for a law banning the use of wangwang, with the fewest exceptions possible (e.g., emergency vehicles like ambulance, firetrucks, marked police vehicles). I’m thankful that President Noynoy or P-Noy chose to highlight this seemingly mundane subject in his inaugural speech. This subject is far from petty.
Traffic rules, as noted by Alex Lacson in his book 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country, are among the simplest laws that we have. Many of these rules are plain common sense and should be easy to follow.
Fall in line. Wait for you turn. Be patient. Be fair.
It’s not easy being stuck in traffic. It’s a test of patience. It’s more difficult to be late for an appointment and being stuck in Metro Manila’s traffic mess. And it’s worse to see a car with a wangwang weaving through traffic and getting ahead.
How would you feel when you fall in line for your favorite movie and someone cuts in? Or while enrolling? Or while getting a bus ticket during peak season? That’s the same feeling we drivers feel when someone gets ahead with a wangwang. It runs against basic fairness and it doesn’t help that the one doing it is a public official who is supposed to lead by example. That public official is receiving a salary paid by taxpayers’ money, consuming gas paid by taxpayers, riding a vehicle paid for by taxpayers, and being escorted by one or more security details paid, of course, by the people’s taxes. Why, pray tell, are they entitled to the much-abused wangwang?
If there’s an important appointment, leave earlier. If Metro Manila traffic is a mess, then “encourage” the appropriate government agency to solve it. By having a wangwang, someone is practically immune from the daily traffic mess and would be the last to care if the traffic problem is solved.
If high-ranking public officials and “important” private citizens are exposed to the same traffic mess that we ordinary mortals encounter daily, then perhaps they would be very interested in finding a solution to it. If not, then at least they suffer like the rest of us. The MMDA officials and Metro Manila mayors failed to address the traffic problems in the Metro? Absolutely no wangwang for them.
A wangwang distorts relations on a number of levels. One, as citizens, why should that person have preference over another simply by having a wangwang? Hindi lang naman sya ang anak ng Diyos. Two, with respect to public officials, why would they have a free pass from the traffic mess when it’s something that they failed to address in the first place? Wika nga ni P-Noy, “Kayo ba ay sawang-sawa na sa pamahalaang sa halip na magsilbi sa taumbayan ay kailangan pa nila itong pagpasensiyahan at tiisin?”
So, why don’t we all stop whining about wangwangs and get one ourselves? So we use our influence. We use our connections. We spend money. We know someone (or someone who knows someone) who can help us get a wangwang. We’re powerful (or feel powerful) if we can secure a wangwang. We can break traffic rules and terrorize traffic enforcers if we have a wangwang. We’re above the normal scope of the law if we have a wangwang.
Two opposing possibilities occur. Others would simply shrug their shoulders and chalk it up as another example that in this country, those who have more in life have more in law. On the other hand, others feel that they deserve to be above the law. They get a wangwang themselves.
Anarchy in our streets.
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Poll: Do you think P-Noy COULD maintain the strict no-wangwang policy?
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Tinkering with internet tools comes with the bonus of better understanding how existing laws apply to the third wave - that of technology, particularly the internet. This is also a great medium to disseminate and discuss ideas across borders, time, color or creed. 
Dapat lang ipagpatuloy ni P.Noy ang polisiya na ito. Ang kakayahan niya na panatilihin ito ang isang basehan para sabihin natin kung puro papogi lang ang mga sinabi niya noong inauguration address niya. Siguradong maraming tututol dito, pati na ang bise-presidente niya na si Binay. Sana panindigan ni PNoy ito, para hindi naman ipakiramdam ng mga traffic enforcers na iiwan lang naman sila sa ere at para sabihin ng mga tao na iba si Noynoy.
Magtulungan tayong lahat para ipagpatuloy ito.
If my memory serves me right, there were restrictions on the use of sirens other than police cars and ambulances during martial law.
But there have been abuse in the use of sirens later on and this has been tolerated.
The tolerance is so appaling since even cabinet secretaries were allowed to use sirens on their vehicles. The drivers of these vehicles turn-on the siren even if the cabinet secretary is not the passenger.
Drivers of ambulances have also abused the use of the siren. They sound the siren to allow them to breeze through traffic. Most of these ambulances are not carrying patients.
For the policy to be effective, guidelines should be immediately issued and strictly enforced by the appropriate agency. Otherwise, this policy would end up inutile like the operation red plate launched by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Hindi po anak ng Diyos ang siga sa kalye…. pwede diyos nla… And I believe if you are the true daughter and son of God you know how to respect others. Sabi nga, kung sa maliit na bagay di ka maaaring pagkatiwalaan (like simple traffic rules), much more sa malalaking bagay.
Siguro po di lang wang wang ang alisin, konting bawas din sa mga tinayong mga fences sa EDSA ni Mr. Bayani Fernando ng MMDA. Nakakalito at masyado perwisyo. Pag nakapila na ang mga bus at ayaw umusad ng nasa unahan, matulog ka na…bukas pa ang andar ng car mo.
Totoo yan. Respeto sa daan.
One of the things that I hated the most is the plate number of government officials…. pinangangalandakan na sila ay Mayor, Vice Mayor… siga pa sa kalye.
Also excess advertisement ng mga government officials na nakikihilera kay Kris Aquino, Aga Mulach, Sahron Cuneta…etc… Parang mga celebrity.
Kahit graduation may malalaking tarpaulin to greet the graduates… O to congratulate the topnotchers pero mukha naman nila ang nakalagay. Cost of money ng government yan…
It’s always good to start with the bossman. The rest will follow. Good blog!
I googled libel and found YugaTech’s blog linking to you with special thanks. I would like to know more about the libel case so hope you can shed some light on my latest post. Thanks!