Brigada Blogs: Jay Sabale tries being an MMDA officer for a day

When Robert Blair Carabuena was caught on camera assaulting MMDA officer Saturnino “Sonny” Fabros, netizens were enraged. The incident highlighted some of the difficulties faced by MMDA officers, who have to face irate motorists every day. To find out what it takes to be an MMDA officer, GMA Reporter Jay Sabale walked a day in Mang Sonny’s shoes as part of an assignment for the GMA News TV news feature program "Brigada." Though he didn’t get to issue traffic tickets, Sabale took a shot at directing Metro Manila traffic, a job that’s harder than it looks. He talks about his brief experience as an MMDA officer and why he thinks they deserve so much more respect than they actually get.

Q: What was it like to be an MMDA officer? It was hard. There is surely a lot more to being an MMDA officer than the public perceives. Aside from the exposure to elements, pollution, and having to deal with so many different personalities on the road, you still have a lot of responsibilities to fulfill. You have an effect on the lives of all those who are on the road.  You are responsible for getting fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters safely to their respective destinations. Q: What did you learn from the MMDA officers that you met? Are there any stories that didn't make it to the episode that you would like to share? I learned that there are a lot of honest and hardworking MMDA officers. It’s a shame that there are some people who are part of the MMDA who are corrupt, and this creates a negative image for the whole MMDA. If the raw footage of the episode were to be shown on TV, viewers would realize the perils of the job. MMDA officers risk getting injured or even killed by reckless drivers on the road.  When officers flag down motorists for violations, you wouldn’t believe the excuses that they hear.  It’s very normal for motorists to swear innocence, or to threaten to call influential friends or patrons to fish them out of trouble. The traffic enforcers and I had a laugh when we talked about some of the women they flag down. They said that a lot of women try to charm their way out of a ticket.  Habang nilalambing daw sila, hinahawakan ng babae ‘yung braso nila na huhugot sana ng ticket, tapos maganda pa at magaling makiusap. Mas nahihirapan daw silang hulihin ang mga ito. Because they are exposed to a relatively higher degree of danger than people of professions, many MMDA officers feel they deserve better salaries and benefits including hazard pay.  Pandagdag din daw ito sa kanilang pang araw-araw na budget, tulad na lang ng pambayad sa tuition fee ng kanilang mga anak. Q: Before doing this assignment, what was your perception of MMDA officers? How did your assignment change this? Before, I thought that MMDA officers were weak and didn’t have much authority. They couldn’t handle confrontation well and would easily get intimidated by hot-headed drivers and those who have patrons or friends and relatives who are in positions of power. I’d also be disappointed with traffic enforcers who, instead of doing their duty on the road, rest under the shade. After being an MMDA officer, I realized how difficult it is to be under the sun the whole day. Now, I understand how difficult it also is to deal with so many personalities on the road. Some of them can be very rude. These MMDA officers do deserve so much more respect than what we give them. Q: How do the MMDA officers respond to the perception that many of them are corrupt and accept bribes? What are your thoughts on this? When I asked them about the issue of bribery, there was a short silence before one of the officers answered the question quite nobly. He said that there is no room in the MMDA for those who take bribes from motorists. However, this is still a reality that the MMDA has to deal with.  But because of my experience with them, I somehow understood why some of them do it. Kung ang tao, pinapasweldo mo nang tama at binibigyan ng tamang benepisyo, hindi naman mangongotong iyan. Kulang ang kinikita nila. Pero lahat naman ng tao, especially ‘yung nasa position, sabi nga nila, “Regulate your greed.” Q: Now that you know what it’s like to be a traffic enforcer, in what ways do you think can the MMDA improve its management of its officers? The MMDA should provide its officers with sufficient tools of the trade, and educate them on how to properly communicate with people, especially hot-headed motorists. I’ve also noticed that although there are a lot of MMDA officers, there are still not enough. The MMDA should offer better benefits to entice more people to work for them. Halimbawa, para 'yung mga tambay, sa halip na tumambay lang, ma-engganyo sila na mag-MMDA. "Brigada" airs Mondays at 8:00 PM on GMA News TV Channel 11. Follow the program on Facebook and Twitter. —Angel Bombarda/PF, GMA News