—Paul Theroux
By Alex P. Vidal
SOMETIME in July 1994, then Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Capiz manager Jaime “James” Cabag and I were “arrested” by a traffic enforcer while crossing the busy Colon St., touted as the oldest street in the Philippines, in Cebu City.
We had already reached the other side of the street when we heard a loud whistle blown by a traffic enforcer, who reprimanded us: “Jaywalking kamo dong (guys you committed a jaywalking).”
He was right. The light for pedestrians was still red when we crossed.
James was pissed off not because we would be delayed in our seminar that morning. He was irked by the tone of the traffic enforcer’s voice.
A native of San Miguel, Iloilo, James angrily retorted in Tagalog, “Enimbarrass mo naman kami sa lakas ng boses mo (you embarrassed us with your loud voice)” while giving the traffic enforcer a dagger look.
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He ignored James and escorted us to a corner where several other violators were waiting.
Two things came into my mind: either we would be penalized and asked to pay a corresponding fine right away, or be brought to the police station to be booked and detained.
Jaywalking is a serious traffic infraction in Cebu City. In split seconds, more traffic violators were taken to where we were standing. Sensing he could not attend to all of us, the traffic enforcer allowed us to go without asking us to pay any penalty. It was around nearly 10 o’clock in the morning.
In Iloilo City, a “humiliated” male lawyer nearly ran amuck when accosted for jaywalking by city hall traffic ordinance enforcers.
A retired male public school teacher nearly came to blows with the same enforcers because of similar infraction. A female GSIS employee engaged the same enforcers in an ugly verbal tiff that nearly ended in a physical scuffle. And so on and so forth.
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These were some of the regular scenarios we witnessed then at the intersections of Valeria and Delgado streets (near SM Delgado and Mary Mart Mall) and Delgado-Gen. Luna streets (near Atrium Mall) in Iloilo City.
That was before city hall traffic ordinance enforcers stopped imposing a fine as penalty for jaywalkers right away. Although they issued official receipts from the city treasurer’s office, the male lawyer questioned the legality of imposing a fine as penalty for violators without any court order.
The lawyer insisted it’s the court that should determine whether he pays the fine or he goes to jail.
Many legal experts said it is against the law to immediately collect fine upon apprehension or as a precedent for the release of a person caught violating a city ordinance.
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It’s unlawful for any law or ordinance enforcer to immediately collect a fine, according to them.
The violator must first be detained and proper charges be filed against him for violation of law or ordinance.
Then the judge will rule regarding the fine.
The City Council had expedited a city ordinance amending the procedure in arresting violators of city ordinances as prescribed under City Ordinance No. 2001-017.
When it was approved and signed by then Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, the unpalatable scenarios we regularly witnessed in the aforementioned areas and other busy streets and intersections in downtown, City Proper, become a thing of the past. Jaywalkers were no longer subjected to such inconvenience during the administrations of former mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III and Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Trenas.
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Below is another poem recently written by Philippine Ambassador to Bangladesh, Atty. Leo Tito Ausan which he shared to us: PAALAM NA MANONG BARBERO, SA PALENGKE AT KANTO, AYAW NA PÔ KASI NI CLARK NAMIN MAGPAGUPIT SA INYO, SA MCQUEEN'S NA DAW ANG KANYANG GUSTO, ....ANG IBIG NIYA MAS MAHAL ANG GASTOS SA GUPIT NI WOWA'T WOWO!!..: KAYA SIGURO MAG AYOS-AYOS NA RIN KAYO, MAGLAGAY NG KOTSENG UPUAN, COLOR TV AT UNLI ANG PULBO,!!!, IBA NA PÔ KASI ANG LABANAN NGAYON, MANONG BARBERO!!!... ANG MGA BARKADA NI CLARK AY IBA NA RIN ANG GUSTO.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo. —Ed
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