Outrageous

Where do these people find the guts to behave the way they do? Why do they comport themselves as though they were entitled to the most blatant traffic violations? What makes them think they can get away with murder?

The case of the bus driver who last week made a counterflow in Fairview, Quezon City, arrogantly held his ground even when a traffic aide came by and asked for his license, and even brandished a steel bar as though he were the wronged party and prepared to fight it out, brought all these questions to the fore. It also showed what this society has become—crass, stupid, lawless.

Motorist Kristoff Guinto was driving on busy Regalado Avenue last Monday when he came to an abrupt stop. He had to, because right in front of him was a Rainbow Express passenger bus that was on the wrong side of the road. Being in the right lane, Guinto waited for the bus to move to the correct lane.

But the bus driver, subsequently identified as Alberto Agustin, did not budge. In the cell phone video that Guinto would later upload online, the driver began yelling and gesturing at Guinto, to the effect that the motorist should get out of the way. An incredulous Guinto could be heard wondering why it was Agustin who was angry.

When Agustin moved his bus slightly to the right, he almost smashed into a passing car whose driver then got out and angrily remonstrated. Agustin kept his bus where it was.

Then things got downright surreal. A traffic aide on a motorcycle arrived at the scene and, after much prodding from Guinto and others, asked for Agustin’s license through the bus window. But the man ignored him—and produced a steel bar and waved it threateningly. Most astounding, when the bus finally moved away, even some of its passengers were hooting and giving Guinto the dirty finger.

What boorishness, what gall, is this? Have the “Tokhang” killings in the streets led to this social violence, and are aiding and abetting it?

Lamented motorist Guinto: “We can’t tolerate this kind of behavior on the road. What if something bad had happened? Will we let the driver off with an apology?” Indeed.

The Philippines is notorious for being one of the world’s most difficult places to drive in, due to ignorance and lack of driving skills among drivers, the flawed infrastructure, and the haphazard way that traffic rules are implemented. This is why even skilled drivers from other countries refuse to drive Metro Manila’s roads, which include Commonwealth Avenue, dubbed by some as the single most dangerous road in the world.

Buses occupy a special place in the reality that Philippine streets are inordinately perilous. In the past, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board compiled a list of the most dangerous Metro Manila bus lines based on the number of the accidents in which they were involved, as well as the deaths, injuries and damage they had caused. The 2010-2011 list had Rainbow Express in the seventh slot.

True enough, it was shown that the bus Agustin was driving had previously been involved in 11 traffic violations. The LTFRB is reportedly set to hold a hearing on the counterflow incident, having issued a show-cause order compelling the 10-bus Rainbow Express to explain why its license to operate should not be suspended or revoked for “reckless driving” that “endanger[ed] the lives of pedestrians, motorists, private and government properties.”

To be sure, there seems to be an effort to crack down on traffic violators. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority reported in December that it had collected as much as P20 million in traffic fines from footage gathered by the 250 closed-circuit cameras under the “no contact apprehension” system.

In February 2016, an abusive Uber driver operating without proper authority got his franchise canceled and fined P200,000. But these are only a few notable exceptions to the vast number of violations committed daily by public and private drivers. The LTFRB, the MMDA and the Land Transportation Office need to step up to the plate, to show teeth (and, yes, to produce license plates). Drivers need to become aware of their responsibilities. And we all need to be outraged by lawless driving. Or else we’re doomed.