Time to pull out Coast Guard from EDSA duties
I’M referring to members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) who, instead of guarding our coastlines and ports and aiding persons and vessels in distress, are now assigned to catch violators of the EDSA busway.
Lately, I have noticed that the Metro Manila Development Authority has pulled out its personnel in the exclusive EDSA bus lane, thus only uniformed PCG personnel, with their distinct Battle Dress Uniform and sidearms are left to catch the busway violators.
What happened to the MMDA personnel tasked to enforce the EDSA busway rule? I have also seen many videos wherein many drivers of 4-wheeled vehicles and motorcycles have ignored the Coast Guard personnel in the area.
Are these drivers not afraid of our Coast Guards? Just watch the video of a motorcycle driver who crashed twice along EDSA while trying to escape from PCG personnel who have already surrounded him.
In many of the videos I have seen, it seems that the Coast Guard personnel are helpless in stopping the violators unless they have already cornered them. Remember the case of a woman who falsely identified herself as a niece of a police general and a staff of a foreign embassy?
Right now, there are some who are laughing, even questioning the decision of the Department of Transportation’s Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation to assign those Coast Guard personnel to man the EDSA busway.
First of all, the PCG is the country’s lead maritime search-and-rescue unit, its main function of which is to help persons and vessels in distress and conduct search and rescue in marine accidents and emergencies within the maritime jurisdiction of the country.
Second, it is tasked to enforce laws, regulations, and treaties related to maritime safety and security. They also conduct flag and port state control inspections, protect the marine environment and resources from pollution and other offshore sources.
Third, its other functions are to prevent and suppress illegal entry, smuggling and other customs frauds, approve plans for the construction, repair or alteration of vessels, issue licenses and certificates to officers, pilots and seamen and prescribe and enforce regulations for motorboats.
Lastly, it works with other government agencies and the merchant marine fleet to carry out its functions. Apart from that, I cannot find in any PCG rulebook that its men can be assigned to catch traffic violators.
Yes, the government was able to collect P7 million in fines in January of this year from motorists who were caught illegally passing inside the EDSA busway but are they all credited to the PCG? What about the MMDA personnel who are strategically positioned in most of the 23.8-kilometer-long EDSA?
Another question is how many Coast Guard personnel are guarding the EDSA busway to catch violators? Are they only positioned in areas where there are TV crews and vloggers covering their operations?
There have been many busway violators who have been accosted for passing through the EDSA busway. They include vehicles of senators, congressmen, police and military, foreign embassies, ambulances and private vehicles. However, the majority of the violators are motorcycle riders including delivery men and ride-hailing motorcycle services.
On Sunday, PNP Highway Patrol Group director Brigadier General Ely Matta told me has ordered the investigation of three of his men involved in a viral EDSA busway incident.
“The Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) laments the recent incident involving a convoy led by two HPG riders utilizing the busway along EDSA, which has attracted significant attention on social media. It is imperative to clarify the name of PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco D. Marbil has been unjustly associated with this matter,” said the PNP-HPG in a statement.
“We assert that there was absolutely no intention to undermine the mandate of the Department of Transportation’s Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation (SAICT) or to dictate the actions of its operatives. The suggestions made by the HPG officer, as captured in a video recorded without authorization—presumably by a SAICT traffic enforcer—were intended primarily to alleviate traffic congestion during rush hour. These statements reflect his personal views and do not represent the official stance of the HPG,” the statement released by PNP-HPG spokesperson Lieutenant Nadame Malang added.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo maintained that the statement was made by the unnamed HPG non-commissioned officer who mentioned the name of Gen. Marbil during his talk with the SAICTF personnel does not reflect the whole position of the PNP-HPG, much more the PNP.
However, she said that during one of their conferences, a recommendation for the MMDA and the SAICT to study the possibility of ‘suspending’ their traffic enforcement along the EDSA busway during ‘rush hours’ was discussed amid complaints sent by motorists to the PNP-HPG that going after busway violators during the rush hours contribute to traffic jams.
This is evident in countless videos showing Coast Guard personnel crossing different EDSA lanes just to catch bus lane violators, in the process stopping other vehicles in the area.
“Personal opinion lang po nung HPG officer yun but the HPG and the PNP are not in the business of undermining other agencies. Out of respect to the HPG leadership, let’s also wait for the outcome of the investigation on the demeanor of one of their men,” Brig. Gen. Fajardo said.
For me, we don’t need the Coast Guard in the EDSA busway if everybody will just follow the law, regardless of their rank and position. Lastly, will somebody explain if secret videos by those Coast Guard personnel that have ended up in the hands of the media are authorized by the law if they were taken without the consent of the accosted drivers?
