Law enforcers as lawbreakers

By Hilda M. Austria

 

DESPITE the clarification of the city legal officer of Dagupan to the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) on the right interpretation and implementation of the recently upheld ordinance 2013-2014, also known as the “Ordinance Instituting Certain Security Measures for the Protection of the Lives and Property of Dagupeños” that includes the helmet policy, POSO enforcers apparently still don’t understand what it entails. They insist on their own interpretation – implementation is optional depending on their discretion!

Atty. George Mejia stressed during the regular flag raising ceremony of city government employees “Aalisin lang ang helmet sa mga checkpoints, kapag hindi naka-helmet hulihin niyo sila dahil paglabag ‘yon sa National Helmet Law.”

He further explained, the POSO should enforce the Ordinance 2013-2014 only in checkpoints, but in the absence of checkpoints, Ordinance 1922 or the original Helmet Ordinance in the city should apply at all times even within the central business district in accordance with the provisions of the National Helmet Law.

I recalled how hours prior to this clarification by Atty. Mejia, my husband and I, riding our motorcycle, were flagged down by a POSO traffic enforcer. My husband was wearing his helmet but I wasn’t, though I was carrying one. He decided to wave us on after seeing I was carrying a helmet though I wasn’t wearing it.

However, hours after the clarification and directive of Atty. Mejia, I noted that motorcycle riders who held but didn’t wear their helmets were still not apprehended or fined. And riders who didn’t even carry helmets were simply ignored.

This led some motorists to remark, “Hindi naman kasi naiintindihan ang policy nila” and “Pinipili lang naman nila hinuhuli nila,” I couldn’t agree more.

I personally witnessed how the national law was violated by the enforcers, including police officers themselves last week. I saw two men riding in tandem without helmets but instead of seeing the traffic enforcing the law, there was a brief banter and the riders sped off shortly. My husband asked the enforcer why she did not accost the two since the two were not wearing nor carrying helmet. She replied “Mga pulis yong mga ‘yon.” We followed the two tandem riders and we saw another POSO enforcer simply waived at them.   When we also asked the enforcer the same question we asked the lady enforcer earlier, he simply shrugged and said “Meron silang helmet.”

This anomalous situation must be corrected immediately if the city government wants the public to take its policies seriously. Policies or laws should be implemented correctly and strictly even without cameras pointed at them.

Above all, law enforcers should not be lawbreakers.

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