PNP Chief Police Director Ricardo Marquez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON
As the Philippine National Police (PNP) deploys almost 100 of its men to man the Edsa traffic, the PNP chief has one request to motorists: Please don’t bribe my officers.
PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez on Thursday urged motorists who will be caught breaking traffic rules to be “strong enough” to face the consequences of the violation without offering money to cops apprehending them so they could go scot-free.
“A lot of people will bribe their way out. Don’t do that. Let’s be strong enough to face the consequences. After all, we are just going to pay a fine. Please don’t bribe my officers. It’s a shared responsibility so please help us,” Marquez told reporters in a chance interview.
Starting Monday, some 96 police officers from the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) will join traffic enforcers from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in managing the congested areas or “chokepoints” of the 23.6-kilometer national highway.
This was after President Benigno Aquino III appointed the PNP-HPG to take the lead in containing the Edsa traffic, which was formerly the primary task of the MMDA led by Chairman Francis Tolentino.
Kotong cops
Marquez allayed fears that more traffic enforcers, including policemen, would extort motorists once cops start manning the highway.
“We’re not saying that the issue of ‘Kotong’ is OK, but I urge the public to file a complaint [if there’s an extorting officer],” he said. “If there’s somebody who would like to weed out scalawags from the service, it’s the PNP chief, so help us.”
He also said there would soon be electronic ticketing that would take away human intervention between the apprehending officer and the violators.
“So when someone violates traffic, he cannot negotiate anymore with the officers,” he said.
Follow the law
Marquez recalled when he visited Bangkok, Thailand in 1991, he saw that traffic there was “much, much worse” than in Manila even without officers on the ground.
“But you will not see any motorist counterflowing. What does it mean? It talks about national discipline. It talks about respecting the majesty of the law,” he said.
“Let’s follow the law. If you want to better the traffic situation, we should all continue to contribute.”
Armed cops will be detailed on six chokepoints on Edsa including Balintawak in Caloocan City, Cubao in Quezon City, Ortigas Avenue in Pasig City, Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City, Guadalupe in Makati City, and Taft Avenue in Pasay City. Julliane Love de Jesus (JE)