End the culture of ‘wang-wang’

In April 2024, President Marcos signed Administrative Order 18, which bans government officials and personnel from using sirens, blinkers and other signal devices that cause traffic disruptions.

- JOE ZALDARRIAGA

It was also meant to end the era of the so-called “wang-wang” culture, a symbol of misplaced privilege that Filipinos have long questioned and resented.

Months later, said AO seems to be ignored, highlighted by a viral video now making the rounds on social media. The video shows a black van, escorted by two motorcycles flashing blinkers, aggressively slicing through traffic with sirens blaring. No license plate in sight, but the logo of a government agency is stamped on its side.

The footage struck a nerve. It reignited public outrage at a time when Metro Manila is choking under a holiday carmageddon testing everyone’s patience. While ordinary motorists sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic, following the rules, here was a government convoy bulldozing through, as if their time mattered more than everyone else’s. It was entitlement on full display, a stark reminder of the double standards that persist despite promises of reform.

Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez called the incident a clear abuse of traffic rules. “Yung mga ganitong arogante at mayabang na drayber, siguradong mahuhuli namin kayo. At kailanman, hindi na kayo papayagan pang makapagmaneho ng sasakyan. Wala kayong puwang sa kalsada (We will surely catch these arrogant and boastful drivers. We will not allow you to drive ever again. You have no place on the roads),” he said in a statement.