Something is fishy

By Leonardo Micua

 

WHAT’S gotten into the heads of our public servants in, of all places, Dagupan? Suddenly, in this late stage of the Enhanced Community Quarantine, they want to impose a number coding scheme for private vehicles traveling on all major thoroughfares in the city.

Naturally, car owners, like me, promptly made known that our opposition to the proposal, supposedly recommended by the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO). It’s outrageous and unfair especially to those who just bought their new cars through monthly installments through the banks.

There is already number coding for passenger jeepneys and tricycles in the city. Why the need to include private vehicles? Ostensibly because of the private vehicles’ sheer number? And only for the duration of the ECQ?

Although I heard that City Hall will terminate the ordinance only when a vaccine against COVID-19 is finally found. Hahaha!

Fortunately, the majority in the SP came to their senses and deferred the unstudied proposal when they assembled for a special session on May 7.

Councilor Jose Netu Tamayo, who denied he is the author of the proposed measure, said it was deferred, pending an in-depth consultation and public hearing with various sectors in the city, particularly the stakeholders.

Imagine, City Hall wanted to ram the ordinance down on the throat of the SP, to approve the measure hook, line and sinker pronto without hearing the side of the affected sector.

Who would believe the city hall’s justification and arguments without any scientific basis, particularly that the number coding scheme for private vehicles in all major thoroughfares of Dagupan, will contain the spread of the novel coronavirus called COVID-19?

Are they saying that private vehicles are not practicing social distancing, hence, the need to reduce their number on the streets?

The only rule that IATF for Emerging Infectious Diseases imposed on private cars is to accommodate only two or three persons in order to maintain social distance inside the vehicle.

The reverse effect will be seen if the number coding for private vehicles is imposed because car owners and immediate members of their families, whose vehicles can’t be used on coded days, will be forced to ride public transportation to reach their destinations, where the chances of getting the virus are greater.

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It is a fact that social distancing is most difficult to implement when riding public transportation and, therefore, increases risks of nCOVID-19 infection. This is the area that POSO should focus on, and not private vehicles if it really wants to contribute in stopping the transmission of the virus.   

Also, many find the fines excessively high: P1,000 for the first offense, P3,000 for the second offense, and P5,000 for the third and succeeding offenses.

Then there is the question of where the fines will go: ostensibly to a trust fund that will be used for projects and programs meant to improve the traffic situation in Dagupan. 

Don’t you think there is something fishy about this proposal. It seems city hall is more interested in collecting fines than in containing the virus.    

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On the Cease and Desist Order served by the National Telecommunication Commission, a quasi-judicial body of the government, on ABS-CBN, NTC was only doing its job to enforce the law, that broadcasting networks without a franchise cannot operate.

But had Congress acted swiftly on the request of ABS-CBN for the renewal of its franchise at the beginning of this new administration, the closure of the largest TV station of the country would not have come.

The trouble is there were two other speakers of the House before Congressman Alan Peter Cayetano, both of whom did not consider that giving a renewed franchise to ABS-CBN was a priority.

At this juncture, methinks it is only the Supreme Court that could bring back “Ang Probinsyano” on their TV screens nightly. I doubt very much if Congress can rush the renewal of the radio-TV franchise of ABS-CBN.

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