Last week, the Ombudsman filed graft charges against ex-Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son, former Makati City Mayor Jun-Jun Binay. The case against them arose from the alleged overpricing of a carpark building near the Makati City Hall. Now that the elder Binay is no longer vice president, he is not immune from suit.
Graft charges were likewise lodged against ex-Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando and several ex-MMDA officials. The case against Fernando emanated from several questionable disbursements from funds of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival managed by the MMDA, including a birthday gift in the amount of P1.6 million in cash allegedly received by Fernando.
Since there is nothing in the MMDA charter which allows it to manage a film festival, why is the MMDA managing the annual film festival in the first place? It’s no wonder the MMDA is unable to attend to the traffic mess in the metropolis!
Even ex-President Aquino is facing criminal charges for the pork barrel scam which scandalized his administration years ago.
Now that the government is in the mood to file criminal cases against corrupt government personnel, attention is invited to certain anomalies hidden from public attention.
First in the list is the Land Transportation Office located at Shaw Boulevard in Pasig City, between the Capitol Commons commercial compound and the Ynares sports arena.
Motorists entering the parking lot infront of the Pasig LTO are required to stop at a makeshift guardhouse. There, each vehicle is charged a parking fee of P30.
The anomaly—the guardhouse attendant does not issue an official receipt for the money received. All he issues is a small printed ticket (like a carnival ride ticket) bearing a serial number and its P30 face value. The ticket does not state the name of the entity issuing the ticket. Obviously, it is not an official receipt.
Since the operator of the parking lot charges money from the general public, the operator is required by the internal revenue laws to issue an official receipt for every payment the operator receives. Non-issuance of official receipts for revenues received is a criminal offense.
Motorists attest that this parking ticket racket has been going on for over two years now. This writer checked out this anomaly last week and learned that the racket is still taking place.
At the Pasig LTO office, a security officer wearing a black uniform and sporting a military haircut tried to play down this parking ticket racket. He said the LTO has nothing to do with the illegal parking tickets because the LTO lease covers only the office space it is currently using, and does not include the parking lot. In addition, he said that the management of the Ynares sports arena issues those “parking tickets.”
Other Pasig LTO personnel refused to answer questions.
The hollow explanation of the security officer notwithstanding, either the Pasig LTO head or the manager of the Ynares sports arena should explain this parking ticket anomaly.
If the Pasig LTO head is behind this racket, he should be sued for violating the anti-graft law. On the other hand, if a private entity is behind this irregularity, its top official should be sued for tax evasion.
Moreover, the Pasig LTO head must explain why motorists who have official business with it must pay for parking space. No parking fees are charged at other government facilities. Why is there a parking fee at the Pasig LTO unit?
There is another parking fee racket at the plaza near the head office of the Commission on Elections in Intramuros, Manila. There, “parking attendants” without uniforms or identification cards issue parking tickets bearing the name of the Intramuros Authority. Although each ticket looks real, the printed ticket price is crossed-out and replaced, using a ballpen, with a higher amount. Since the parking ticket is actually an official receipt purportedly issued by the government, any manual alteration on it is illegal. Are the authorities aware of this scam?
Next in the list are the anomalies committed by MMDA traffic enforcers stationed at the Edsa-Ortigas Avenue intersection.
The anomalies involve the number-coding prohibition on vehicular license plates. Under this prohibition, certain cars cannot use the roads one day in a week, depending on the last digit on their license plates. During the so-called “window hours,” however, banned vehicles are allowed on the road from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The “window hours” exception is recognized at this intersection.
On weekdays, between 1:30 and 2:45 in the afternoon, an MMDA traffic enforcer stationed at this intersection looks for vehicles which are covered by the “window hours” exemption. In particular, the traffic enforcer monitors the “window hours” vehicles coming from Ortigas Avenue and turning left to the southbound lane of Edsa.
Instead of directing these vehicles to the proper lane on Edsa, which is his duty, the MMDA traffic enforcer takes advantage of the small, almost unreadable signages near the POEA building and waits for a vehicle to take the wrong lane. The traffic enforcer then accosts the driver.
Realizing that the “window hours” exemption of the vehicle concerned is expiring soon, the MMDA traffic enforcer accuses the motorist of deliberate disregard of traffic rules, and threatens to confiscate his driver’s license. Since the motorist has no time to argue his defense, the motorist is left with only two unpleasant choices—allow the traffic enforcer to confiscate his driver’s license for no valid reason, or give the traffic enforcer a bribe.
Some corrupt MMDA traffic enforcers at the Edsa-Ortigas Avenue intersection demand at least P500 from each motorist accosted. Traffic enforcers taking bribes are careful enough to avoid getting recorded by the traffic camera. To avoid inviting suspicion from anyone, corrupt traffic enforcers pretend to write down the license plates of the vehicle concerned, while the motorist prepares the bribe money.
What a racket!
