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One
cannot help but be amused, and also be disappointed,
with the recent bickering between transport and Congress
officials over the use—or abuse—of special vehicle plate
numbers for government executives. Is it not a case of
the pot calling the kettle black?
While
not all public officials use special plates such as the
infamous No. 8 plate for members of Congress, many are
still prone to wield their power and influence by
hogging roads and wantonly disregarding common road
courtesies, if not traffic laws. In short, with or
without special plates, government people—including
those from the Land Transportation Office (LTO)—can
still choose to be abusive motorists, and get away with
it.
My
neighbors in Makati City include the family of a former
city mayor who is now a Cabinet secretary. Often enough,
Mr. Cabinet Secretary comes a- visiting and his
vehicles, which normally sport regular plates, are
already familiar to village security. On occasion he
drives himself, but more often he is chauffeured,
although the type to sit in front rather than the rear
seat. His “stature” is somewhat betrayed only by two
things: that he is driven in a relatively new and
luxurious car (in use since his mayoralty days), and his
vehicle is followed by an unmarked, nondescript AUV that
serves as back-up vehicle. Other than these, he is just
one of the neighbors—and, obviously, not the only one
who drives a luxury vehicle.
In
contrast, a new neighbor, reportedly relatives of a
congressman, recently moved in. It cannot be ascertained
whether the congressman himself is actually the new
neighbor, but the sport utility vehicle (SUV) that comes
in and out of the village sports a No. 8 plate. The SUV,
more practical than luxurious, appears to have seen
better days. And no security vehicle backs it up when it
comes and goes. But the No. 8 plate is enough to
indicate the owner’s stature, but this is assuming that
the congressman himself and not just his relatives is
using the vehicle with the No. 8 plate. After all, it is
fairly common for government officials to extend the
privilege of special number plates for official vehicles
even to their private vehicles, or sometimes lend their
official vehicles to their spouses and children and, at
times, their relatives.
In
contrast, I know of at least one Cabinet member who does
not use a special number plate, nor does he use a backup
vehicle or a security detail. During the day, he is
accompanied only by his official driver and, on
occasion, one executive male staff to help with
documents. On weekends, he sometimes drives himself to
do errands or to go out with the family. If only most
government officials can be as unassuming.
Unfortunately, often enough, even minor functionaries
think too highly of themselves and strut around town
with security detail and backup vehicles in tow.
The
question is, how important really are those special
number plates to the affairs of state? Aside from
unnecessarily calling attention to one’s self and one’s
stature as a public official, are such plates truly
necessary to public service? Perhaps the privilege
should remain only with the President (No. 1) and the
Vice President (No. 2) for purposes of identification
and as a matter of respect for the office they hold. But
as for the others, is such privilege truly
indispensable? For legislators and other Executive
officials, for instance, is such privilege actually
relevant to public service?
For one,
the use of special-number plates seems to belie the need
for heavy security—another common feature of people in
power. After all, if one is truly conscious of
security—and thus the need to be backed by
firepower—should not one choose to be nondescript and
appear as common as possible? Why should one choose to
stand out by using special identification plates? In the
same manner that some banks now opt to use unmarked
vehicles, instead or armored cars, to transport large
sums of money. This is precisely to avoid detection and
easy identification by those intending to do harm. And
yet, public officials, fearing harm for some reason, opt
to mark their heads and their family with bull’s-eyes by
using special-number plates.
In fact,
there was even talk in the past of how unscrupulous
businessmen, perhaps well-connected politically, can
gain access to special-number plates for their private
use. Some even reportedly use such plates for luxury
vehicles, reportedly imported freely, so that they can
be used on roads while their papers are still being
processed.
If put
to a vote, it is almost certain that most people will
find the practice of using special-number plates as
frivolous if not extravagant, perhaps the result of
vanity and pride rather than practical intent, and a
potential if not common source of abuse and arrogance on
the road for their users—despite the institutional
history and protocol for the use of such vehicle plates.
For me, such plate indicates nothing special, and often
gives license to public officers to interpret traffic
laws as they see fit—more for their convenience rather
than public safety and welfare. I dare suggest: Out with
special number plates, they serve no significant public
purpose, anyway.
In fact,
other than emergency vehicles like fire trucks and
ambulances, as well as clearly marked police vehicles,
perhaps all special privileges should be revoked by
Congress through legislation. Even special
accommodations for abusive armored bank vehicles and
even vehicles of law and traffic enforcers, unless in
“hot pursuit.” True equality on the roads can be the
LTO’s and Congress’s lasting legacy to the Filipino
people.
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