State of lawlessness?

Rhona Canoy

SO… When people heard President Duterte declare a state of lawlessness, people went into a panic. That got me to thinking. We Filiipinos actually shouldn’t be as reactive to this situation. And that is because:

Lawlessness is a way of life for us. And before you all decide to come to my house bearing pitchforks and torches, please read on to the end of this column.

Since when have we ever been law-abiding? Here’s where I get confused. Being law-abiding is one of those absolutes. You either are or you aren’t. The moment you find some ridiculous justification as to why you can park in a no-parking zone, you’ve crossed over into the dark side.

No littering. The whole country seems to be one big trash bin. Except for Davao, where they have successfully brainwashed their citizens into being clean, and proud of it.

No parking. I don’t even have to go into detail on this one. There are traffic rules that tell us where we shouldn’t park. But do we listen?

Traffic lights. If you’ve ever found yourself at a working traffic light in the middle of the night, you will realize that nobody pays any attention. Yes, drivers will slow down to make sure nobody is coming from opposite or perpendicular lanes, but they will proceed if the coast is clear, regardless of the brightly glowing red light.

Selling of cigarettes and liquor to minors. Enough said.

Zoning laws that restrict opening and operating of bars near government buildings, schools, churches. Wow! Is there such a law? I didn’t know that.

Keeping our sidewalks clear for pedestrian traffic. Since when? If you want to buy a pair of second-hand shoes, the sidewalk vendors have it. If you want to buy cigarettes, menthol candies, chewing gum, the sidewalk vendors have it.

How much further should I go on? We all are guilty at one point or another. And if we can, without batting an eyelash, ignore or purposefully break these laws, who is to stop us from breaking all the rest?

We are certainly law-abiding when there are figures of authority in sight. More so if they are actually looking straight at us, maintaining eye-glaring contact. I guess it must be frustrating for them too. I used to complain about policemen and traffic enforcers being short-tempered. But I guess I would be too, if I were in their place. We Filipinos certainly are a rowdy, uncontrollable bunch.

When I was checking in at the airport for my flight to Laguindingan, there was a well-dressed bejeweled lady ahead of me at the line. She was trying her arrogant best to get away with 12 kilos of excess baggage weight without having to pay for it. She was visibly irritated when she saw the amused look on my face. She should have been grateful that I chose to keep my silence. There is great pleasure in putting people in their place, especially when you may never ever ever ever see them again. It might be more pleasurable if you do. I have to hope that happens someday.

So I was very amused to see how violently people were reacting to the “State of Lawlessness” announcement. Don’t we already live in a state of lawlessness? Don’t we go out of our way to exercise our right to not follow the law?

Welcome to the Wild, Wild Pinas!