It is all well and good to have lofty ideals and promises, but what makes society function is the continuous and steady forward march of its people. Consistency is key.
And lately, it does feel like that consistency is a bit lacking. There are many little things that contradict declared promises, as it has always been with the government. Baguio is better with it than most, though there is no reason to ask for anything less than the best.
These little things range from the banal to the concerning. For instance, despite a pledge for inclusivity, a harmless musical group was only recently blocked from performing in the city due to pressure from established groups.
This week, from a promise to be strict with traffic law in response to increasing accidents less than a week ago, the man who made the promise, Baguio’s chief, has already softened his stance, moving from a hardline promise of a strict speed limit to a call to amend the existing speed limit and increase it to accommodate specific situations, i.e., when drivers need to adjust their speed while navigating steep roads.
It took less than the time of a single month for that stance to soften. On a matter of literal life and death. With the knowledge that some drivers simply disregard speed limits and other traffic rules, like the need to slow down near pedestrian lanes.
The official statement says that the rationale for amendment is from the performance of some testing in specific city roads, but the results are relayed through layers of information channels and were conducted rather rapidly.
If an official stance can change that rapidly, after such impassioned declarations of plans to move forward, declarations of policy change and acquisition of equipment, where is the consistency? Where can we put stock in the weight of words? Should we even take the government’s words seriously?
Surely when a matter that concerns the lives of people is the focus of discussion, the public deserves a more thorough explanation and deliberations of such should be given more time.
