In the concrete jungle of Metro Manila, which has become crime-infested anew despite police assurances to the contrary, a motorcycle rider was flagged down by a cop and asked to help chase fleeing robbers.

The policeman hopped on the back of the bike, and the chase was on — until those being pursued fired at them. The rider fell mortally wounded, while the cop survived.

In Quezon City recently, a rider chased after a man who evaded traffic enforcers, thinking it was his civic duty. He too wound up dead after he was shot by the man he was pursuing.

In both instances and in many other cases here in the Philippines and abroad, citizens had taken it upon themselves to chase after criminals and road ragers, often with deadly consequences.

The recent Sunday afternoon shooting in Sitio Boso Boso, Antipolo City may have been another case of citizens stepping up to stop someone who, as the viral videos showed, had been driving recklessly. The incident ended with the SUV driver shooting four people, including his female companion, and the three riders he had fought with.

The SUV driver will likely claim self-defense, arguing that he was outnumbered. Whether that argument will hold will depend on our justice system — a system often criticized for its inconsistencies. And while former President Rodrigo Duterte’s extradition to The Hague sparks debate, the core issue of public safety remains.

Now, there are lessons to be learned here and none are flattering to those in charge. First, police should not limit their checkpoints to motorcycle riders as if only those on two wheels cause trouble. The SUV driver had been driving with wild abandon before the confrontation and had law enforcement been more effective, the situation might never have escalated.

Second, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) must weed out drivers who treat the roads as their personal playground. We already have too many reckless motorists who think traffic rules are mere suggestions. Add a gun to the mix and we have tragedies like the one in Antipolo. While the LTO has some initiatives, they are often overshadowed by the sheer volume of violations.

Third, citizens should think twice before inserting themselves in situations that should be best left to the police — assuming, of course, that the police are actually capable of doing their job without enlisting untrained civilians as sidekicks. If one thing is clear, it’s that playing hero against an armed maniac rarely ends well.

And speaking of the police, let’s not forget PNP chief Rommel Marbil’s penchant for handing out medals like candy. The Antipolo police received commendations for doing what should have been routine — arresting a shooter.

Since when did catching a gunman in hot pursuit become medal-worthy? Then again, the PNP desperately needs a feel-good story after the embarrassment of Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III strutting like a peacock while bundling Duterte off to The Hague.

This is the same Torre who resigned (or was forced to resign) as chief of the Quezon City Police District for defending a gun-toting road rager, and the same Torre who saturates social media with videos of him shooting like some crazy Wild, Wild West gunslinger.

Yet while the PNP is busy handing out medals and orchestrating PR stunts, one glaring fact remains: The driver of the white BMW who mowed down a call center agent in a hit-and-run is still out there.

At the end of the day, the problem isn’t just one errant SUV driver or a handful of riders who had acted like vigilantes. It’s a system that rewards mediocrity, ignores accountability, and leaves justice and public safety to chance. Until that changes, we’ll keep seeing the same stories — just with different victims.

And let’s not forget the bigger picture: our streets aren’t just battle zones for rogue drivers and impulsive heroes — they are also where law enforcement is supposed to uphold order, not just react when blood has already been spilled.

The government needs to stop the cycle of impunity, the courts need to ensure swift justice, and the police need to prove they are more than just undeserving medalists. Otherwise, we’ll remain trapped in this deadly loop of negligence and false bravado.