A Day With A Traffic Law Enforcement Officer

When I came out of the Hall of Justice after my hearing the other day, I headed for the Goldilocks nearby  for a cup of coffee. My wife was waiting for me there.

As I was walking, I noticed the main street was unusually free from traffic. There were few utility jeepneys picking up passengers along the way. I thought this was strange.

Then I looked to the other side of the road and saw Traffic Law Enforcement Officers  from the Land Transportation Office (LTO). They were everywhere, (seeking whom they may devour). I’ve heard from a radio commentator years before that these guys must fill up a quota of arrests.

I quietly smiled. Then I realized to my horror that I parked my car on the corner of the street. Now I was worried. When inside Goldilocks I told my wife my apprehension.

I drank the last drop of coffee, got up and headed for our car. I totally forgot about the LTO Officers who were now long gone.

When we got inside the car, my wife said:

“Hey what’s that pink  slip on the windshield?”

When I look at it, immediately my fear was confirmed. It was the ticket left by one of the LTO Officers. I mumbled something and got the pink ticket.

It was the usual Temporary Operator’s Permit (TOP) with a handwritten word accross it which reads “For Alarm” and “corner parking”. I wondered what this meant. This was the first time I was penalized for this.

I told my wife that we’d go to the LTO Office immediately and complain. There were many who were parking their cars on the part of the street where I parked but it seemed I was the only one penalized. These officers had only chanced on me I thought.

When we got in the LTO compound, I found the LTO officer and immediately complained to him why I was given a ticket.

“Sir you were parking on the corner of the street and under R.A. blah, blah, it is prohibited for anyone to park within 6 meters from the street corner”

“Yes, but why am I the only one given a ticket when there were other cars parking there?” I questioned.

“You are right. There were other cars there but their drivers were still in their cars and you were not. Technically, they are still not ‘parking’ their car”.

I couldn’t believe what I heard.

“You mean as long as the driver is in his car even if he parks in the corner, he is not considered ‘parking’”?

“Yes”, the officer replied. “What we do sir is simply ask the driver to park somewhere else. But you were not around so I left you a ticket”

This is really absurd. I could not really follow the logic.

“It sounds like you just chanced on me?”

“Yes. It seems like it sir.”

I really admire this guy for his honesty. But I find this whole thing repulsive.

“No, no, no, this is unfair. Is this even part of the rules?” I asked.

“Yes sir. If you really feel bad sir, what we can do is visit that place more often for arrest, to satisfy you”. The officer countered.

This was worse. I was at a loss what to do at this moment. My wife was already arguing with the officer herself. I thought there was really no point of arguing further. This officer was not giving an inch.

“Anyway sir, the ticket is not yet final. You can contest it within the period stated there.”

I figured, If I contest the arrest, the law would not be in my favor since I am a lawyer. Besides, I don’t want to go through the tedious process.

“How much should I pay for this?” I asked the officer.

“Only P250 sir”. He answered.

For such amount, I thought it would not be wise to pursue a contest. I might as well pay it and get out of this mess as soon as possible.

I went to the cashier to pay for my penalty. When I asked for the bill, the LTO cashier told me:

“P475. You must also attend the seminar”.

Whoah!