Police to watch out for wangwang violators on SONA day

If you are expecting the wangwang (loud sirens and bright blinkers) to break through the Metropolis on July 26 when President Benigno Aquino III delivers his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) — don't. In the previous years, politicians and VIPs attending the SONA have been known to use wangwang to speed up their travel time to the Batasan Pambansa complex in Quezon City, where the SONA is delivered before a joint congressional assembly. However, the new President has been vocally against the use of wangwang, blinkers and other gadgets since his inauguration on June 30, saying these are symbols of inequality. Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Alberto Suansing said Wednesday he has coordinated with the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP HPG) to watch out for violators around the Batasan Complex. "Sa Batasan at sa labas sa Commonwealth, doon kami mag-aabang. Katulong namin ang PNP Highway Patrol Group (We will patrol the Batasan Complex and Commonwealth Avenue areas with the help of the PNP Highway Patrol Group)," Suansing said in an interview over dzBB radio. Suansing said he reached an agreement with PNP HPG head Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina about coordinating their movements. The two officials have also agreed to promote road safety and discipline and not merely implement the anti-wangwang drive. "Hindi lang wangwang ang pinagusapan pero generally about road safety and discipline (We agreed not only about wangwang but also on matters of road safety and discipline)," he said. Also on Wednesday, a senior Catholic Church official questioned if the anti-wangwang drive can be sustained. Retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said it would be a "great achievement" if the anti-wangwang mood and drive would last until these gadgets are no longer used in the country. "It is not a secret that this country is rather well-known for the 'ningas kugon' mentality and disposition of its leaders and most of their followers," he said. Complaints overload Suansing said he gets more than 200 complaints against wangwang daily recently, causing his cell phone to hang or crash. "Ito ngang aking cell phone nagha-hang sa dami ng dinadagsang information. Di bumababa sa 200 text messages ang aking natatanggap araw-araw mula nagsimula ang drive na yan sa illegal installations ng sirens at blinkers (My cell phone is hanging because of the volume of complaints. I received at least 200 text messages a day since the drive against wangwang started)," he said. – VVP, GMANews.TV