The Way It's Supposed To Work

Wise governments pass and enforce laws for the common good. Traffic rules for example, limit how fast a car can go, where a driver can and cannot park, and set standards for licensing qualified drivers. Without traffic laws, cars would race down the road at dangerous speeds, parked vehicles would block roadways, and people who don't know the rules of the road would drive passenger vehicles. But, despite the fact that the Philippines already has a complete set of laws and regulations governing traffic, that seems to be the exact situation on the nations roadways today.

In mature societies, law enforcement is relatively easy. The average citizen obeys the law on his own, and needs only an occasional reminder when he strays off the path. As a result of this self-policing culture, authorities are left free to focus their attention and resources on the few who break the law by choice. The result is a condition of general peace and order. Citizens expect things to work in a certain way, because they know that the law requires it. And more importantly, they find that things do work as expected, because laws are enforced.

Obviously though, the Philippines has not reached the point where laws alone inspire discipline, a word which really means "doing the right thing, even when no one is looking". I’m using traffic to illustrate a point, but the idea is the same whether the subject is traffic, tax collection, or issuing a building permit. Laws not enforced are nothing more than words on paper. Some government officials, again describing Metro Manila traffic, complain about what an impossible challenge it is because "drivers won't cooperate". Here's a piece of advice for those leaders: Filipinos drive the way they do because there is no one stopping them. All the written laws, all the posted signs, and all the penalties, are useless unless a policeman stands in the middle of the street, points directly at a driver, blows his whistle sharply, and says "you cannot do that". If the driver still chooses to break the rule, there must be a consequence -- every time. And if the enforcer won't do the job, he must be replaced -- every time.

So the place we have to start is with the enforcers. And I don't just mean the police.