While on the bus on the way home, the bus driver's attention was called (several times) by the traffic enforcers (TE) - I was seated by the window on the row immediately behind the driver's seat. We were along Taft Avenue nearing the corner of Buendia. At the corner, the bus driver was stopped (well, not really stopped seeing as we were inching along our way) by the senior traffic enforcer (STE) who didn't look happy. He asked for the driver's license - the driver would make "pakiusap" - this happened 2 or 3 times - until the STE yelled "Lisensya!". The conductor got off the bus and tried to bribe STE who kept turning his back and walking away. A ticket was issued. The license was confiscated.
The bus driver and conductor kept yapping on the bus as they inched away from the curb, commenting on how terrible the STE was for being "masunget", "mayabang" and "hindi mapakiusapan".
Hearing their discussion made my blood boil. They were mad at the guy for enforcing the rules! They were mad at him because he didn't want to be bought! The only thing bad I can say about the STE is that he had a short fuse. But in the heat of the afternoon sun, with drivers and conductors trying to buy their way out of a ticket, who wouldn't have a short fuse?
That's corruption right there - bus driver and conductor wanted the easy way out. They wanted to get their way without having to pay for the consequences. But what they didn't anticipate is that there are still some people who cannot be bought - whose integrity cannot be swayed.
Walang corrupt kung walang mang-co-corrupt.
