The Metro Manila Development Authority
(MMDA) has always been very aggressive in apprehending road violations, including illegal parking.
It has been doing it for a long time that the
operations often turn into cat-and-mouse plays, or
worse, become violent.
Is it the only solution our government can
think of? To offer a thought, it’s not really working.
Enforcement operations can only become a
source of corruption and abuse by traffic agents if they
cannot be properly monitored.
The Local Government Units have tried
NCAP or the No Contact Apprehension Policy.
But that has also been questioned because
it is lacking in studies and the infrastructures are not
properly installed such as traffic lights with count
downs, as requested by motorists.
The NCAP was pelted with complaints due to
the confusion caused by divergent systems and implementations by the LGUs.
What the MMDA and the LGUS have failed to
do was to return to the roots of the problem – maleducation.
Thankfully, a private firm has taken important
steps to educate young Filipinos about the importance
of road safety.
Manny Pangilinan’s Metro Pacific Tollways has
partnered with youth-oriented channel, Nickelodeon, to
feature safety messages on its cartoon program Paw
Patrol.
Metro Pacific Tollways, which operates the
North Luzon Expressway and the Cavite Expressway,
has acknowledged that road accidents on the road,
including major highways, kill thousands of Filipinos
annually.
Metro Pacific has also initiated education programs about road safety involving truck and bus drivers.
With the advent of social media and digital
media, the LGUs and the MMDA should start refocusing their energy on long-term road safety programs.
Instead of flogging hapless sidewalk vendors
and lowly riders, they should go to school and educate
our youth about patience, humility, cleanliness, and
courtesy on the road.
Education, not violation tickets, is the real key
to attaining road discipline both for motorists and commuters
