SEN. JV Ejercito yesterday lambasted vehicle owners using “wang-wang” or sirens accompanied by escorts that he saw on a road in Metro Manila.
Ejercito posted a video of the convoy on Twitter and said the use of sirens and escorts should stop.
“Tell me if this is not abuse. BMW GS1250 as escort, Rolls Royce Culinan, and a Mercedes G63 for a back up! Itigil na ito!” Ejercito said in a tweet.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the PNP and other law enforcement agencies should not be afraid to go after violators.
“The Wang Wang days are back! The PNP should crack down on this. Huwag sila matakot kahit na Bentley ang sasakyan. Pag hindi Presidente o VP ‘yan, hulihin nila,” Gatchalian said in a reply to Ejercito’s twitter post.
Ejercito said only the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and PNP chief are entitled to sirens and escorts.
He said what is more galling is that many are still using “wang-wang,” with authorities apparently unable to stop the practice.
“I see many businessmen, private citizens with escorts. That’s what angers me the most.
We are all equal so what gives them that privilege?” he said.
Ejercito said heavy traffic can never justify the unlawful use of “wang-wang” and escorts on the country’s busiest roads.
“All of us are in a hurry. I’m in a hurry sometimes but it is only time management. You only need to estimate your time. What gives you the privilege to bully someone on the road so you will go first? That for me is unacceptable,” he said, and called on the government to empower traffic enforcers to pursue individuals and officials who commit these kinds of abuse.
He said going after these violators is the job of the police, traffic enforcers and the Land Transportation Office, adding they have the law to back them. He stressed that political will is needed to enforce the law.
“Noong panahon ni PNoy, kahit papaano, sinama niya sa kanyang inaugural address na bawal ang ‘wang-wang.’ Nawala talaga for six years,” he said, referring to the promise of then President Benigno Aquino III to get rid of “wang-wang” users in the country’s roads.
Ejercito said President Marcos should order law enforcement authorities to do the same, adding that a presidential decree issued by Marcos’ late father provides authorities with the legal cover to enforce it.
