IN a display of utter arrogance and disregard for consumer rights last seen during the benighted Aquino administration, the Metro Manila Development Authority plans to impose restrictions on tints for car windows without bothering to win over car owners and motorists.
Tim Orbos, the transport undersecretary for roads, said they were just waiting for the final recommendation of a technical working group on the type of tint to be used. Aside from addressing safety and security aspects, he said, the regulation on car window tints would help the MMDA implement its “high-occupancy vehicle” lane on Edsa.
Once it comes out with the order on car tints in the first quarter of 2018, all motorists are expected to comply with it, Orbos said, exhibiting a preference for managing by whim and fiat rather than by informed consensus.
There are so many things wrong with Mr. Orbos’ plan.
First, in a country where temperatures typically reach the scorching high 30s in summer, dark tints on car windows bring not only comfort to passengers but also fuel efficiency to their vehicles because car air conditioners will not need to work as hard to maintain the optimum temperature.
Second, Mr. Orbos’ plan violates every car owner’s innate right to privacy that tints provide. If a person decides to use dark tints so that would-be kidnappers cannot see into their target vehicle, that is his or her right. When tampering with such a basic right, shouldn’t there be some kind of public debate or discussion before Mr. Orbos passes judgment?
Third, Mr. Orbos also violates car owners’ property rights and punishes them financially. If the MMDA unilaterally decides your existing tints are too dark, who must bear the cost of removing them and installing “allowable” tints? It is the poor car owner who must pay for Mr. Orbos’ folly.
Finally, Mr. Orbos says removing dark tints will help the MMDA carry out its HOV lane on Edsa. In other words, Mr. Orbos suggests we simply trample on the rights of millions of car owners, even though only a small fraction of them will ever use the MMDA’s experimental HOV lane on Edsa. This is the kind of thinking—or the lack of it—that has created such a mess on Metro Manila streets in the first place.
Although the MMDA is not responsible for the issuance of license plates, it belongs to the same government machinery that has collected millions of pesos from car owners and given them, now almost two years to the date, nothing in return.
Now it wants to mess with our cars.
This kind of arrogance and disregard for consumer rights and public opinion were among the worst features of the Aquino administration. It is disturbing to see some people in the Duterte administration acting like it was still 2010.