Productive rage

There has been plenty of outrage at the tragic incident involving the life of a promising young man, Kingston Ralph Cheng, dearly beloved to many in the community, and seemingly blessed with all the hallmarks of someone who was destined to be a pillar of the community.

Likewise, the circumstances surrounding the arrest, the medical examination and the overall handling by the police of the suspect, Sean Andrew Pajarillo, another young man, have triggered yet more outrage, even as insistent questions arise about the competence of the city’s police force.

Cheng’s life was snuffed out when a vehicle reportedly driven by Pajarillo plowed into him. The suspect was taken in, but with no equipment to test him for alcohol, and apparently no standard operating procedures to process him, it was only after many hours had elapsed before he could be tested. The test results came out negative, and the conclusion we are persuaded to accept is that he was sober when the accident occurred.

That is, unless the test is thrown out by a judge for being unreliable, which is what is likely to happen if the contemporaneous police statement, which narrated the sequence of events and the timing of the test, is presented for the judge’s appreciation. No doubt some expert is going to be presented about how all this rigmarole resulted in unreliable tests.

Beyond this horrific incident, however, are realities that must be faced by the authorities. There are many societal ills that have converged upon this unfortunate man, resulting in his unnecessary death.

Sidewalk safety is one. We all know the dangers faced daily by pedestrians braving it on city roads. Even as developers like Shangrila occupy the pavements of the most expensive parts of the city with their construction, sporadically blocking the sidewalks and constricting the passable walking routes, bodily safety is perpetually challenged. What more in areas where the less fortunate live? “Sidewalks” is a misnomer for these hardy citizens. “Run for your lives or get sideswiped trails” might be more accurate.

Road rules are continuously disregarded, and traffic enforcement is spotty. Come rush hour, watch how our fellow neighbors suddenly begin fighting for the tiniest inch of road space, the chips (and bodies) falling where they may.

Of course, that leads to the acknowledgement that there are not enough roads to accommodate all the vehicles licensed to ride around the city, the officials unable to take on the huge responsibility of addressing overdevelopment, cracking down on colorum vehicles, and designing workarounds to accommodate all the competing demands of commuters while pursuing permanent solutions.

Police competence? The vloggers have already detailed, and wailed about, the inadequacies demonstrated in this instance. So what’s to be done about increasing competencies? Implementing SOPs, and equipping them with basic kits to process violators? Training them on what to do in these scenarios? We await, not just answers, but progress.

There are many more maladies that can be explored. Alcohol abuse? Monitoring establishments that cater to the irresponsible? Awareness drives? Parenting skills?

In the meantime, we mourn this vibrant man who seemed to have brought so much joy to members of the community. We empathize with the family of the accused, who must now be in the grips of a nightmare. But more than that, we demand accountability beyond just this single accused. For there are many more complicit actors that contributed, in some bizarre, unanticipated way, to this.

Fingers must be pointed, and must poke and prod. Use this rage to bring about change. Else, we are just courting another profound tragedy.