EDITORIAL - No VIP treatment

A member of popular P-pop girl group BINI issued a public apology yesterday after being sanctioned by the Land Transportation Office for distracted driving.

The LTO suspended the driver’s license of Mikha Lim for 90 days after video clips that she herself recorded showed her holding her cellphone with both hands while she drove her car.

In a statement yesterday, Lim apologized and acknowledged that she put herself and others at risk because of her irresponsible behavior.

As the sanction was announced, LTO chief Markus Lacanilao said, “It is our duty to ensure that the law is enforced fairly, regardless of a person’s status or position. Whether famous or not, everyone is expected to comply with traffic laws.”

This should in fact go without saying. In countries such as South Korea, the bar for proper behavior is set higher for the famous, wealthy or politically influential. Arrest, detention, conviction and imprisonment are swift and efficient. Most of the suspects also quickly acknowledge their guilt and issue public apologies.

In the United States, well-known personalities accused of breaking the law – movie stars, politicians, business moguls and even the former chief of the International Monetary Fund – have been quickly arrested, subjected to a “perp walk” or paraded usually in handcuffs before the media and their mug shots released to the public.

While Philippine authorities have also arrested known personalities, there are still seemingly untouchable VIPs – the enormously wealthy and powerful along with their relatives and cronies – whose lawbreaking is concealed from the public.

How many VIPs and their relatives who have illegally entered the EDSA busway, for example, have had their identities concealed by the LTO, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Philippine National Police?

MMDA General Manager Nicolas Torre III, a former PNP chief, was identified, but he received a slap on the wrist for using the busway in his private armored SUV with mismatched license plates, blinkers and unauthorized MMDA markings. Torre is back on the job after voluntarily going on a one-month leave.

VIP privilege has been enhanced by privacy laws that are being abused and whose application is encouraging impunity.

In the case of Mikha Lim, the viral video that she herself took ensured her public identification. She has been ordered to appear before the LTO central office on Nov. 20 for the probe into her case.

For all violations, whether of traffic rules or laws governing heavier offenses, this treatment of the famous, wealthy and powerful should be the norm rather than the exception.