I was on my way to the office today when the bus I was riding was stopped by a group of men along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. They were unarmed but you could immediately tell that they were up to no good.
True enough after that encounter the bus driver and conductor were P200 poorer. Sounds like highway robbery, doesn’t it?
The group we encountered was running an anti-smoke belching operation so they had every authority to flag us down. But instead of carrying out what they were mandated to do they turned their whole operation into a money-making scheme.
I know money changed hands because I saw it as it happened. I was sitting at the front row and as I peered through the window I saw the bus conductor giving P200 to one of the team members.
It was quite a funny sight actually. The man who flagged us down was acting all indignant because the bus driver, who remained glued to his seat, refused to hand over his vehicle registration. So he went on to admonish the bus driver. But as he was delivering his sermon he was also stealthily reaching out for the conductor’s hand, which held two tightly folded P100 bills.
What a funny charade I thought. It was really funny I failed to stop myself from laughing and blurting out, “ayos na, merienda na.” The clown even heard what I said. As he walked away he flashed me a toothless smile not even his own mother would appreciate.
Now, I’m left wondering again if calls for personal change would even work on people like these.
I am thinking about what more you could have done or what more I could have done if I had been in the same situation.
Like what that soldier in the Brodett hearings said, everything seems easier in hindsight and so, perhaps, there is really no point in second guessing or going into a hypothetical discussion.
I think it was good that at least you spoke up. And I think more people ought to speak up when they witness such acts.
Then again, there’s a chance that you might get thrown off the bus or beaten to a pulp by irate bus passengers who just want to get to where they are going — not really caring how many traffic rules are broken as long as they get there.
However, I do hope you got the bus’ body number and plate number as well as the name of the operator so you could publish it or report it.
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lpgd Reply:
May 6th, 2009 at 5:17 am
i get what you mean. but, no i didn’t get the bus number as i was running late myself. honestly, i too felt that it was a big hassle. that’s the problem — the whole thing was just one big hassle. those testers were not really there to promote the clean air act. they were there to squeeze money out of motorists.
this is yet another example of a system that needs to be tweaked to prevent these crooks from doing their thing. if i had the power i would set a policy that anti-smoke belching tests be conducted only along areas that are amply monitored by cctv systems. that way it can be easily reviewed how many vehicles are flagged down, how many were actually smoke belching, how many were tested, etc. such information could then be used to countercheck the records gathered by the testers for each and every operation they conducted.
i would also require the testers to record on video the actual flagging down of the vehicles, the discussions with the concerned motorists, the actual testing, etcetera.
i think such a setup would force these testers to just carry out their official tasks and nothing else. it will also give the apprehended motorists equal protection in case they choose to contest the findings of the tests later on in a duly assigned adjudication board.
regarding that incident, as the bus was leaving the test site, the conductor commented “pera, pera na lang talaga.” i thought it was a strange comment coming from her (yes, the conductor was a woman albeit a manly looking woman). she was the one who gave the money hence she was an active participant in that whole charade.
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Anti smoke belching is a money making operation I have same experience last Thursday may 5 2011 around 10am along edsa by makati area was pulled over due to what they say smoke belching every thing was wrong how they do it, who they pull over, test equipment they use and people who conduct the test and how they resolve the problem. Was on my way to my doctors appointment when they pull us over so I let them do the test they floored the accelerator pedal and told us the vehicle failed I ask them why they have to floor the gas pedal? they said the test is done at 2500 rpm and above so i ask for the procedure where it says you have floor the gas pedal they cant show it to me. So I ask whats need to be done to correct the problem they told me they have take my license plate and i have to take the vehicle for car wash and have the exhaust cleaned?????? Been a mechanic for half of my life an engine that blows or emit heavy smoke can not be cured by cleaning the exhaust ….
The machine they used is powered by 12 volt battery w/out a charger if the battery is low it will not give you accurate reading
The person performing the test dont know what they are doing
They pick on who they will pull over mostly lady drivers and kind of vehicle that same day 1 out of 20 vehicle past by that is emitting heavy black smoke where not pulled over including MMDA’s fleet …..
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bp Reply:
May 9th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
d_arkangel,
i feel your pain. this sort of thing is truly disappointing. it’s all for show and it’s become nothing more than another source of corruption.
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