Highway nightmare

I’ve been trying to find one LGU chief who enforces RA 4136 from Sto. Tomas, Batangas all the way to the last town in South Luzon. I found none. But there’s one in Luzon, North of NCR. She is Naguilian, La Union Mayor Nieri T. Flores, the woman with balls, huge enough to do what is right.

TRAPOS, the word I coined in 1986, has become one main cause of the country’s highway nightmares. Last week, although in a similar situation, I made no mention of other regions but Calabarzon. That’s done on purpose, to highlight my first hand experiences.

Oh, it’s so sad, regretful, disappointing and frustrating to describe how our local chief executives are so wanting in relation to their exercise of mandate and responsibility to their respective constituencies.

My point is that the chief executives are at fault. They are manifestly cowards, no balls and selfish. Why cowards and no balls? Because most if not all mayors have no courage to enforce the land transportation law or RA 4136 that bans trikes on highways.

Dolores, Quezon ex-vm Ver Capino, points to the mayor’s fear of what he says is “TODA TODA.” True to being real trapos, who are more of patronage and political expediency, these local chiefs wouldn’t enforce the law or even order the police to do it because the trapos’ preference is not to antagonize the tricycle drivers who can deliver a significant sectoral vote every election that comes.

That’s the rationale, the argument that makes the local chiefs too selfish to the general constituency.

LGU chiefs think and engage in politics, not for good governance, peaceful, safe and progressive towns and cities but for their (and family’s) tactical and strategic political and economic interests only.

I’ve been trying to find one LGU chief who enforces RA 4136 from Sto. Tomas, Batangas all the way to the last town in South Luzon. I found none. But there’s one in Luzon, North of NCR. She is Naguilian, La Union Mayor Nieri T. Flores, the woman with balls, huge enough to do what is right.

In this country, rare are the leaders who can serve as models of leadership and good governance. But this is the Philippines where the policemen, too, low- and high-ranked, are almost part and parcel of newspaper pages, of radio and TV news. Not of the good things they do although in my Tulay TV Sunday 12 noon show, I showered praises for some fine job done by a few police officers.

Not everything is rotten, unresponsive, lazy and incompetent and abusive. For instance, in some instances, I thank those who deserved it, including CPNP Rudy Azurin on the immediate action he’s taken on specific calls for assistance.

I see that since the local bosses are generally negligent, perhaps it may be the best option to call on President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. for the implementation of RA 4136 so that, finally, we can have a safe, efficient, peaceful and enjoyable highways to traverse, anywhere from Mavulis in Batanes to Pagasa Island by the West Philippine Sea.

Next thing is about a non-law compliant LGU, where a complaint reached us here. The City of Muntinlupa, whose chief is Mayor Ruffy Biazon, a veteran legislator but who apparently doesn’t mind violating the easement law, depriving the pedestrians of a safe space to walk at Estanislao St., Barangay Putatan. We already made our point clear that a violation is a violation of law and no sort of alibi will justify the crime.

Biazon right now is in Europe and perhaps Acting Mayor Temy Simundac may do wonders for the Muntinlupa constituency. Let’s see folks.

Lastly, bidders for a multi-million security contract are complaining against the Philippine Ports Authority’s Bids and Awards Committee. The issue, as alleged, is that the specifications were tailor-fitted to the security agency currently in contract with PPA. Aha, members of the BAC must all be chefs.