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By Efren L. Danao, Senior
Reporter
The convoy of the Armed Forces
chief, Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano, waved aside the car of Sen. Panfilo
Lacson in a rush to attend Yano’s confirmation hearing by the
Commission on Appointments. What Yano’s security did not know was
that Lacson was a member of the commission which would also act on
the confirmation of the general’s appointment as the military’s
leader.
Lacson said his vehicle was on
Tramo Street in Pasay City at 9:35 a.m. Wednesday when Yano’s
convoy stopped his car and others in the area. He added that Yano
was in a three-car convoy led by two motorcycle-riding policemen and
with sirens blaring.
“The confirmation hearing was
scheduled for 10 a.m. and he [Yano] was in no danger of being late.
In fact, I myself arrived at 9:45 [a.m.],” Lacson told reporters.
A former chief of the Philippine
National Police, the senator gave Yano a piece of his mind at the
confirmation hearing, which started at 10:30 a.m.
“This will not cost your
confirmation, but I had the opportunity of wearing in 1999 the four
stars you are about to wear. I was probably more powerful then than
you are now, but I was not allowing my escorts to cut vehicles along
the way unless extremely necessary,” he said.
Lacson had no escort or back-up
when he went to the commission for the confirmation hearing. He said
people detest the arrogance and high-handedness of police escorts on
the road, especially when traffic is heavy.
“People are really fed up with
government officials with escorts. [These escorts] knock at or
strike the cars or shout as if they are kings of the road. I also
experienced having motorcycle escorts. That is part of the
privileges of the position. But I never allowed my escorts to cut
cars. I felt I should be sensitive to the feelings of others,”
Lacson said.
Yano, who eventually got
confirmed, did not apologize to Lacson but merely said Lacson’s
point was “well-taken.”
Lacson said Cabinet members and
even some senators should also do away with motorcycle escorts.
“That is only to feed one’s
ego. What’s more, the policemen were not performing their primary
duties by doing VIP [very important person] escort service,” he
added.
In the end, Lacson, was a victim
of “arrogance” by some person in power. There are times,
however, when the escorts of senators victimize other motorists.
One female reporter said escorts
of a female senator “who rarely attends committee hearings”
stopped her car along Nagtahan Bridge in Manila. The senator was to
attend a televised inquiry “in aid of legislation.” A newsman
said escorts of another senator even struck his car with a rattan
stick when he failed to move it aside in time to give way to the
senator’s convoy.
Recently, President Gloria Arroyo
ordered government officials to cut the number of cars in their
security convoy to save on gasoline. Hopefully that will happen.
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