EVERY Tom, Dick and Harry illegally occupying and obstructing a public road or sidewalk is likely paying a bribe to somebody. This is why we consider the government’s road and sidewalk-clearing push a herculean fight against corruption. This is the State flexing its muscles and using its police powers to reclaim and give back to the people all the roads and sidewalks that rightfully belong to them.
The State’s police power is the ability of national government down to local government units to compel obedience to laws, and to regulate behavior and enforce order for the improvement of public welfare. The corruption that pervades the illegal use of roads and sidewalks – as public transport terminals, parking spaces and vending areas – involves crooked local motor vehicle traffic bosses, active and retired police and military officers and barangay officials, among others.
On July 29, the President, through Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, ordered all governors and mayors down to barangay chairpersons to unblock all roads and sidewalks within their jurisdiction inside 60 days, under pain of swift administrative suspension by Malacañang. As we’ve been pointing out repeatedly, the government does not really need emergency powers to fix road congestion. It has ample police powers to remove all unwanted road obstructions.
While at this, perhaps Malacañang can also issue an executive order that will deal with all the road excavations left unattended by public works contractors and private firms supplying water, gas, electricity and telecommunications services. We need highly disciplined road diggings, considering that there could be up two million of them nationwide every year, including those done by utility companies.
There has been a suggested that toad excavation permit applicants should be billed rising hourly fees so they will be coerced to complete their work without delay. They should also be required to pay extra charges if they choose to do their work on weekdays, instead of weekends.
The goal is clear: to reclaim and give back to the people all the roads and sidewalks that rightfully belong to them.
