I was contemplating for a month to write about it, but I could not. It’s only now that I got the nerve because I was already suffering from stomach cramps just thinking that the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration was again able to make a fast one on us, the people, by lulling us into believing it was serious on this one. I mean, if it’s all “drowing”, then something must be said about this abominable crime that has become official business.
I refer to mulcting which in Manila’s street lingo means delihensya, lagay, or kotong.
It’s everywhere, and happening from Malacanang up the Pasig River down to the jeepney stop along Buendia Avenue near Taft.
In the middle November last year, in response to public clamor for lower bus and jeepney fares, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, instead of conducting a dialogue with the concerned sectors, made a stroke of genius. She created a task force called Kontra Kotong at Kolorum (KKK), with her factotums saying that this was the answer to higher transport fares resulting from surging oil prices.
Ang gagaling ng mga tinamaan ng lintik! Can you imagine that? It’s like burning down an entire house because it is infested with termites. Ang layo sa bituka ng naisip na solusyon.
Naghasik ng lagim ang pagkakatatag ng KKK. The mainstream media wrote about it and it made headlines. The head of the task force, retired general Roy Kiamco, even got himself interviewed on television. He boasted he will end extortion on the streets after a month. Naturally, drivers of kolorum vehicles shuddered at the thought. Police officers who were on the take wrung their hands in despair, for if they can no longer extort bribes from truck, bus, taxi, jeepney, tricyle, and tri-sikad drivers because Kiamco’s KKK will apprehend them, magugutom ang kanilang MGA pamilya. Talaga. Ang dami yatang binubuhay ng ilang pulis.
In the meantime, the unknowing public applauded. “Yehey, matitigil na ang kotong!” they said. “Mabuhay ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas!” said the Palace’s palakpak boys. “Mabuhay!” the paid supporters responded in unison.
Over a week of media fanfare made many believe that the government was serious. Kiamco and his task force members were seen around the metropolis, making arrests, as well as press conferences hyping up their new-found zeal in ending delihensya, lagay, and kotong.
But while Kiamco and his KKK army were in serious work, the big-time collectors, most of whom are high and powerful officials of the administration, went about their normal ways, making deals, collecting huge sums, and cooking up some more fabulous transactions. They collect not delihensya, lagay, or kotong, but commissions in fat amounts, away from the media’s prying eyes and the attention of the salivating public, of course. Kiamco cannot touch them. They were not covered by his mandate. They are not kolorum. They are “official”, with fine demeanors complementing their expensive business suits. They were not on the streets, but can be seen dining in fine restaurants and sipping lattes and margaritas in hotel lobbies.
A month after, or on December 15, the KKK’s self-imposed deadline, nothing was heard from Kiamco about his task force’s accomplishment or performance. But here’s a terse news about it in the Philippine Star:
“When it was launched last November 14, the Task Force Kontra Kotong at Kolorum promised to eradicate the problem on kotong (extortion) and kolorum (unregistered vehicles) by December 15.
“Last December 7, a total of 160 unregistered vehicles have been impounded as part of the inter-government agency campaign to finally stop kotong by some police officers and traffic enforcers and kolorum vehicles, which cost an ordinary taxi or jeepney driver P7,000 a month.
“But drivers said they hardly felt the campaign as unscrupulous traffic enforcers from different government agencies continue their illegal activities to the detriment of the jeepney drivers and operators.”
Ano ba yan? We thought KKK is for real. 'Yon pala, press release lang.
Kotong is dead? Manigas kayo.
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