Senator JV Ejercito recently castigated on social media the unlawful use of sirens, colloquially known as “wang-wang” and convoy escorts.
Posting a video on Twitter with the caption “Tell (me) if this is not abuse, BMW GS1250 as escort, Rolls Royce Culinan, and a Mercedes G63 for back up! Itigil na ito (Stop this)!”, Ejercito said that “wang-wang” and the use of escorts should stop.
The senator said he has seen many businesspersons and private citizens with escorts and it angers him because we should all be equal. He asked the rhetorical question, what gives them the privilege to have escorts and use sirens and blinkers.
He called on the police, traffic enforcers and Land Transportation Office to address the growing problem.
Under Presidential Decree No. 96, the use or attachment of “any siren, bell, horn, whistle or other similar gadgets that produce exceptionally loud or startling sound, including dome lights, blinkers and other similar signaling or flashing devices” is unlawful.
Wang-wangs were a pet peeve of the late President Benigno Aquino III, and its use and abuse thankfully saw a sharp decline during his term. However, as soon as he stepped down, the power-tripping violation has been slowly but surely making a comeback, apparently due to lack of enforcement.
Following the recent complaints from senators, the Philippine National Police said it has intensified its crackdown on motorists using blinkers and sirens. “Police will not allow any person to disregard the law,” PNP Directorate for Operations chief Maj. Gen. Valeriano de Leon said.
It would be interesting to see how far and how long the “intensified” crackdown on siren and blinker use will go. Do the authorities have the gumption and wherewithal to go after blatant violators such as the convoy Sen. Ejercito witnessed that involved three luxury vehicles with a total value close to P100 million, or will they just stick to the bare minimum and focus their attention on budget wang-wang violations?*
