Punchline

By January 27, 2020Opinion, Punchline

DILG’s ban vs tricycles, etc.

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

IF we are to believe that DILG today means what it says and says what it means, the days of reckless, careless riders and drivers of tricycles, pedicabs, kuliglig and other three-wheeled vehicles are finally over. The tricycle, pedicab ban on the highways is already in effect beginning January 17!

But banning these vehicles on the highways and enforcing the law and ordinances is, of course, easier said than done considering how it has been ignored for over a decade. To expect full and effective enforcement, consider the following:

  1. Will the mayors have the political will to enforce the ban?
  2. Will the DILG directors in towns and cities report their mayors for non-compliance, or weak compliance?
  3.  Have the ban and guidelines been fully communicated to communities (particularly vs. tricycles and pedicabs associations)?
  4. Who will man the highways to enforce it? Police in all towns and cities are undermanned.

Here’s our take on these.

On the first concern, political will is either acquired or inherent in one’s leadership style. The test is in the eating of the pudding. Will DILG make an example of non-compliant mayors?

On the second, there ought to be a rotation of DILG-LGU directors to counter familiarity that have developed over the past months between them and mayors. There ought to be sanctions vs directors who protect non-complaint mayors.

On the third, tricycle/pedicab drivers (including commuters) will invoke loss of income and the lack of jeepneys and buses plying the highways. The main and only argument against these is the SAFETY factor. DILG has the data on the number of deaths and accidents on the involving tricycles, pedicabs and yes, motorcycles!

On the fourth, the barangays must pass local ordinances (with penalties)

banning the tricycles, pedicabs and kuliglig on highways.  Their barangay ordinance will empower and mandate barangay officials and members of tanod to enforce the ordinance. A coordination with the police as the lead agency in enforcing the ordinance will make the latter a collective concern.  The presence of uniformed barangay tanods posted along the highways will deter tricycle drivers flouting the ordinances. Also, the enforcement of the barangay ordinance can be tapped as a good source for fund-raising for community projects.

So frankly, without the above aforementioned actions, the enforcement of the ban will be not consistent in any town or city. 

So far, only Lingayen Mayor Pol Bataoil has signified his intention to see to the strict enforcement of the ban. Perhaps he can share his approach with other mayors.

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BARANGAY KAPITANS’ PIVOTAL ROLE. Speaking of Mayor Bataoil, his is the opportunity as president of the Pangasinan chapter of League of Municipalities of the Philippines, to make mayors in the province accountable for the performance of barangay kapitans.

The role of our barangay kapitans are pivotal in almost everything since they are expected or known to know every little thing about their communities, from drug-dealing, presence of crime suspects including hitmen riding in tandem, monitoring backyard livestock raising, illegal gambling, minors’ curfew, smoking and drinking.

Their frontline role in the war on drugs must be underscored. The secret drug dens in barangays are really not secrets to kapitans. Curiously, not a single barangay kapitan in Pangasinan has been sanctioned for a successful buy-bust operation in his/her barangay.

For as long as kapitans are off the hook, we cannot honestly expect our towns and cities to be drug-cleared at any time. 

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