MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino called on local officials yesterday to exercise discipline and avoid being bullies on the road as he launched the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA’s) new traffic signal system and command control center.
“Even if I have the privilege to be a priority on the road, I choose not to use a siren… No one has the license to have a wang-wang mentality and be bullies on the road,†he said in a speech.
Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr., who was in the audience, later said he “did not feel alluded to.†Binay and his sister, Sen. Nancy Binay, figured in an incident in November 2013 involving security guards of Dasmariñas Village, who refused to allow them and the members of their convoy to pass through a gate that was closed for the night.
Aquino said he also gets stuck in traffic jams, and he copes by making allowances for these delays.
“I observe traffic rules. For me, green means go and red means stop, not go faster,†he said.
The President called on Filipinos to observe discipline on the road, despite the temptation to break the rules.
“Whether you drive a car or a motorcycle or are crossing a pedestrian lane, we should obey the rules. We should not learn to obey the rules only after being caught by an official or on camera,†he said.
Aquino said there are days that he wanted to get out of his car and arrest traffic violators himself. – With Mike Frialde