Huli ka!

Ano ba talaga ang kelangan gawin para maayos na 'tong problemang 'to?

Is it really just a matter of cleaning out the sewages? Or has overdevelopment eaten up the natural waterways that were supposed to take up the excess water during times like these? Is littering a major factor or will banning the use of plastic bags and disposable containers help? Has anyone even made a study of what the major causes are?

This post is in response to dorele's query (11 Aug 08, 15:25) in the shoutbox:

Hi Dorele,

Unfortunately, we could not find any reference to a "no plate, no travel" policy on the 'net. This leads us to believe that this falls under the no plate violation, which carries a P150.00 fine (for both the LTO and the MMDA). No mention on whether the vehicle can be impounded, though.

As for new vehicles, the car dealers say that the invoice/delivery receipt is valid for seven days from the date of issuance. However, all the government agencies officially claim that invoice/delivery receipt is only valid for the day that the vehicle is to be delivered to the buyer.

Hope this clarifies things somewhat.

The Huli Ka! Team

Anyway, we think this question arose 'cos of MMDA's and LTO's recent push to apprehend those who are violating this policy. What we don't understand is how come it takes sooooo long for the LTO to issue new plates. Can't they just stock up on them? Better yet, why not issue a whole bunch of plates to the dealer based on projected sales? That way, if a buyer walks in, they can actually leave with their new car immediately without having to worry about being stopped by traffic enforcers on their way home. I'm sure one can think of the appropriate controls to ensure that these plates won't be used to legitimize smuggled vehicles. All it takes is a little bit of thinking and a lot of enforcement to make it a reality.

Last Sunday, an SUV bearing an '8' plate rammed and killed a security guard while seriously injuring another near Trinoma mall. However, the owner seems to have illegally obtained the protocol plate as he/she is not a member of Congress. In fact, there was even an attempt to hide the protocol plate when the car was brought to the police station. Fortunately, news cameras recorded the plate before it was removed. See the article here.

Seems like this incident has highlighted the problems that the use of protocol plates have spawned ever since its inception. From the illegal use of the protocol plates by congressmen's (or women's) families, the rampant availability of "fake" protocol plates, and the penchant of those using protocol plates to ignore traffic rules and regulations. Also, it seems that Congress has successfully lobbied to have the name of the district removed from the protocol plate, supposedly to hide their identities from "unsavory" elements. Unfortunately, this has led to the increase in fake plates and the use of such plates in terrorist acts such as the bombing of the Batasan building last year.

Anyway, I hope that the government, be it the LTO, MMDA, PNP, local government, Congress, whoever or whichever, and ALL public officials, learn from this. First, stricter controls on the issuance and use of protocol plates (or even their removal, as proposed on House Bill 2346/Senate Bill 1141) are definitely needed. Second, enforcement of traffic rules and regulations should cover ALL motorists regardless of the type of plates they use (be it green, yellow, blue or red, single digit or the three letter/three digit variety). Third, to all public officials, mahiya naman kayo sa mga mamamayan. You are supposed to be employees of the people and have been chosen to lead us to a better nation. So, please, start leading by example and stop abusing the trust that has been placed upon you.

P.S. Sana naman, this extends to the apprehension of those who have illegally installed blinkers and sirens on their vehicles, as well as those using those LTO, PNO, Congress, etc., stickers.