Duterte keeping Noynoy’s no ‘wang wang’ policy

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said he would maintain the policy of his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, against the indiscriminate use of sirens by several government officials and private citizens.

Duterte made the remark as he claimed to have received reports of the resurgence of the indiscriminate use of sirens —"wang wang" in colloquial usage —especially by officials wanting undue privilege to get past traffic jams.

“Ngayon sabi nila na ano bumabalik na daw ‘yung siren, there is an order ... kay Aquino pa ‘yan, and I’d like to maintain that policy. Lalo na taga-gobyerno kayo,” the President said in a speech at the distribution of land titles to farmers in Mulanay, Quezon.

The late President Ferdinand Marcos issued a decree in 1973 regulating the use of sirens, bells, whistles, horns and other similar devices.

According to the law, these devices may be attached to and use only on motor vehicles designated for official use by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Bureau of Investigation, Land Transportation Office, Police Departments, Fire Departments, and hospital ambulances.

For government officials, only the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker, and the Chief Justice are entitled to use vehicles with these devices.

Aquino had railed against the “wang-wang” mentality in government, or the tendency of some officials to use their positions to get special privileges.

To illustrate his point, Aquino himself declined using sirens during his presidency, even when he had to get to important appointments. —LBG, GMA News