Erice? Erase!

ERASE traffic? Erase Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice’s self-serv­ing idea to keep private cars out of EDSA for six hours through the day.

The man is clearly fomenting a class war between private car owners and passengers of public transport. He’s been securing the enthusiastic approval of – who else but – bus riders, bus operators associations, and commuters for his proposal to ban private cars on the most abused highway during the rush hours, 6-9 a.m. and 6-9 p.m. Jackie Chan once said, why call it rush when nothing moves?

This congressman’s in a rush to join his colleagues in “solving traffic,” anything that will inconvenience the public but benefit themselves. Their (tax-exempt?) cars run on fuel paid by taxpayers, their chauffeurs col­lect their wages from the boss’ perks and allowances. They’re escorted by armed and admiring bodyguards traveling in a convoy, the absence of which could significantly free up traffic. How many of the 230-or-so legislators own only one car each?

It was a congressman who broached the idea of a three-day col­or/number coding scheme, just be­cause he owned 21 cars, not count­ing those of his flesh-and-blood relatives, all DNA-carrying members of his political dynasty. It was an­other congressman who suggested an exclusive lane on EDSA for con­gressmen to save them from being late for their legislative work (like posturing during the televised hear­ings that go on and on for hours, for days).

Comes now Rep. Erice, who doesn’t seem to realize that it’s not only the people in buses who go to work – the people who drive their own cars are just as hardworking, and they pay higher taxes by the simple act of buying, owning and insuring a car, gassing up for fuel, applying for a li­cense, hiring a mechanic, etc. Erase Erice’s bleeding-heart compassion for one sector of the riding public, and let’s think of a more reasonable approach, such as confining to his city that dumb-and-dumber ban. Al­low only Caloocan-registered cars to be covered by the ban, and only on the Caloocan stretch of EDSA. After all, not the whole of EDSA’s 22 km falls under his constituency.

Erice’s irascible plot is only the first step. A board composed of Metro Manila’s mayors can red-light him. Will Manila, Makati, Quezon City, Pasig, San Juan et al. surren­der to one congressman and let him hold hostage citizens of the entire MegaManila?