Bill would end days of people who cut in line
QUEUE jumpers, troublemakers and recalcitrants are the targets of an “anti- pasaway” bill that party-list lawmakers have filed in the House of Representatives.
“This bill adheres to the ‘anti- wang-wang’ (antisiren) policy of the administration as it prohibits the use of any position of power, social status, prominence or reputation to cut in, break up or disrupt the order of a line,” said party-list Representatives Christopher S. Co and Rodel M. Batocabe (Ako Bicol).
The two said their House Bill No. 3953, or An Act Penalizing the Act of Cutting in Line, Breaking Lines, and Other Related Acts and for Other Purposes was aimed at institutionalizing the model behavior of President Aquino who does not seem to mind standing in line and awaiting his turn despite being the most powerful person in the country.
The proposed law will “enforce peace and order and instill the values of timeliness, courteousness, discipline, patience and respect,” they said.
“The advantages of falling in line do not end at fulfilling a safe and orderly provision of goods and services. It also leads to a culture and social behavior of self-control and self-discipline that are important social and cultural factors in curbing corruption, harassment and oppression,” Co and Batocabe said.
The bill would cover overt and covert acts such as jumping a queue or using any device or scheme to save a slot or space in a queue; break up a line or employ devices and schemes to disrupt the order and cause confusion in a physical or virtual queue; use of any physical force, threats, intimidation or influence by virtue of power, social status, prominence or reputation to cut in, break up or disrupt the order of a line; or employ devices, schemes or deceit in order to cut in, break up or disrupt the order of a queue; and knowingly giving consent to these acts by allowing another person to insert, cut in, break up or disrupt the order of a line.
Violators will be penalized with either a P10,000 fine or one month imprisonment or both. The bill imposes a higher penalty of up to P25,000 in fine or six months imprisonment if the offense is committed in areas declared as being under emergency or calamity conditions.