Senator Imee Marcos on Thursday expressed her opposition to the directive of her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to prohibit government officials from using sirens, blinkers, and other signaling devices.

"The use of sirens and other signaling devices should not be banned outright but should be heavily regulated. There are valid uses for these types of equipment," Senator Marcos told reporters in a text message.

Instead of outright prohibiting government officials from using such signaling devices, she emphasized the need for strict measures to curb abuses in their use.

"[T]hose that abuse these devices should be apprehended and be held liable under our laws," she stressed.

In his Administrative Order 18, Marcos reinstated the "anti-wang-wang" policy first introduced by late President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, aiming to alleviate the deteriorating traffic situation in Metro Manila.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Philippine National Police (PNP), fire trucks, hospital vehicles, and other emergency vehicles are exempt from compliance with the AO.

Case-to-case basis

Senator Imee emphasized that the prohibition on using the mentioned devices should be assessed on a case-by-case basis, highlighting her doubts about its implementation on the ground.

"The outright ban on sirens is good, but for me, an outright ban is not realistic because we know that there are occasions when the president passes by, for example, the president himself or when we have a visiting head of state from abroad. It would be impractical to make them wait in traffic," she explained.

"Let's not go that route. I think the outright ban should be considered on a case-by-case basis, especially for emergencies or official state visits and other various needs," she added.

She also questioned the rationale behind exempting the AFP and PNP from the AO, stressing that their use of signaling devices "might not always be an emergency."

"So, perhaps the wording can be fine-tuned. That's just my observation, but we are thankful for the transport summit and hope there will be more extensive discussions and dialogues," she said, referring to the summit held by the Marcos administration to solve the perennial problem of traffic in Metro Manila.

Welcome development

Unlike Senator Imee, Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito, a known active transport advocate, welcomed the revival of the "anti-wang-wang policy".

Ejercito told reporters in a Viber message, "That is a very welcome announcement from the President. I support this 100%!"

"It seems that the use of sirens, blinkers, and HPG [Highway Patrol Group] escorts in a convoy has become a trend for government officials these days. The feeling of entitlement," he added.

Senator Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, likewise, expressed her support to the AO.

"Yes. I strongly support BBM's [Bongbong Marcos] directive. Officials should be the first to set the right example," Poe said in a separate statement.

Poe noted that traveling without using signaling devices would be beneficial for government officials to experience traffic congestion firsthand.

"It's also good for government officials to experience traffic congestion firsthand so that we can hopefully be more motivated to find an effective and sustainable solution to the traffic congestion problem experienced daily by our commuters," she said.

Reject wang-wang mentality

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva also expressed his support for President Marcos's AO 18.

"Let’s reject the wang-wang mentality! We definitely agree and we laud the President for issuing Administrative Order No. 18," he said.

As public officials, he said that it is their responsibility to set an example to their constituents especially when it comes to dealing with traffic.

"Let us not add to the daily burden endured by our fellow Filipinos who experience traffic congestion in various parts of the country," he said.