It’s Task Force Alpha (TFA) in the news again!
Last Sunday, The Freeman had a story about a complaint of a motorist against the high-handedness of some TFA members.
This is not surprising and obviously not new as we have received so many complaints about this group, whose members we first personally met in January 2005 shortly after the Sinulog parade that year.
There is no doubt to the interest of some TFA members to help implement the traffic laws and make Cebu a better place to live in.
Unfortunately, it seems that through the years the complaints against the group have also piled up.
The latest incident at Capitol Site is nothing compared to what happened to the drivers of Tsuneishi Heavy Industries based in Balamban, who had to ask the Japanese guests of the shipbuilding companies to take taxi cabs to their destination as they were apprehended for operating a vehicle for hire allegedly without the proper permit.
The vans were not vehicles for hire as they were company-owned vehicles and the tourist-looking passengers were not your ordinary tourists, but owners of shipping companies buying ships built in Cebu.
The matter has been referred to the LTO and we hope to hear about how it was resolved.
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It cannot also be discounted that some motorists resent being stopped for violations.
We see many vehicles that are running without headlights or those without tail lights or are major smoke belchers.
We see many vehicles that look like they would fall apart if they hit a pothole and if we have very zealous deputized law enforcement agents like the TFA, how come we don’t see an end to them?
Is this another case of selective enforcement of the law? We are only asking questions that we hope can soon be answered.
There are also motorists, who still think that all law enforcers are crooks and any effort to apprehend them for violations are just meant to squeeze them of some cash.
While it is true that there are some who practice such, there are still many law enforcers, who are doing things right.
We talk of having a better country yet we don’t bother to fix our vehicle’s lights or regularly have it tuned up to prevent emissions. Yes, such things cost money as owning a vehicle is expensive.
To be very frank about it, if you cannot afford to maintain a vehicle or have a proper parking area, you should not insist on owning one.
We all have ideals of a better place to live in. Many of us complain about how we feel short-changed with the way others behave. Let us also ask ourselves this question: Am I doing my share to make my world better?
If you can’t answer yes to that question, then work harder at following traffic rules.
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You can also send email to nimrod@mozcom.com.