By Robert B. Roque Jr.
What happened to a young man with autism, a runaway, aboard that EDSA carousel bus last week was not just inexcusable—it was criminal.
The video has gone viral, showing passengers kicking, punching, and electrocuting a person with a disability (PWD). Attacking a person with a disability (PWD) is, in itself, a crime under the Revised Penal Code, and there are multiple laws that protect the vulnerable sector to which he belongs.
Yes, the victim was reported to have bitten another passenger or, perhaps, two. But the intervention for that should have been a measured response, not excessive force, not violence, not abuse.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon was reasonably outraged, and so were officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Dizon emphasized that people on the autism spectrum may react differently to noise, light, or distress. What they needed in that moment was understanding—not mob justice.
It is Firing Line’s wish that everyone who laid a hand or assisted in that brutal and inhumane treatment of the PWD be hunted and brought to justice.
President pounces on PrimeWater
At Wednesday’s Malacañang press conference, Usec. Claire Castro said the President has put his foot down, ordering swift action from the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) on the matter of disservice from PrimeWater in Bulacan. Firing Line thinks it’s about time.
After seeing for himself the state of school bathrooms in public schools in Bulacan that were filthy and unusable, without running water, President Bongbong Marcos finally forced PrimeWater to act.
The private water utility, owned by the Villar family, did not have to wait for the President. The government had to fix a broken pump and respond to waterless schools in Malolos City, Bulacan because PrimeWater obviously failed at its job.
PrimeWater is no small-time player. It is a concessionaire that services over 1.7 million households and has entered into at least 73 joint ventures—some say 130—under the previous administration. Many flags have been loosely referred to the Commission on Audit (COA) as disadvantageous to the government.
It is a welcome development that the President has finally said, “enough,” ordering LWUA to review PrimeWater’s contract and performance. Some might say this is only driven by political frustration (especially after Camille Villar ditched the Marcos ticket for Team Sara).
Should it even matter? Truth is, whether it is that or out of sheer public duty, the result is the same: public service finally getting a push from the top. So, go ahead, Mr. President, and hold PrimeWater to account, even if the hand behind it is powerful.
In the end, the government should not fail the people on something as fundamental as water.
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SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View via X. Read current and past issues of this column at http://www.thephilbiznews.com
