THE recent story on the involvement of the military in implementing traffic rules in Cebu received mixed reactions from netizens.
On Thursday, November 29, SunStar Cebu asked on its social media pages: “What is your opinion on the military’s involvement in implementing traffic rules?”
“Since traffic is getting worse in Cebu, that means the present system is not working. Anything new is good! Let the government do its job and not judge so quickly,” TesMing C. Ng said on Facebook.
Twitter user Andrew Quincy (@migscon) chimed in on the role of the military beyond the use of arms: “So everyone is willing to sacrifice the soldiers at war every day but not willing to let them help in the city’s problems? What a shame.”
But some opposed the idea of camouflage painting the streets.
Don Bathan Lomarda expressed that the move is a disgrace to the military profession.
“They are trained to defend the country and the Constitution not to become traffic enforcers. All those years of training and this is how our leader treats them?” Lomarda asked.
Emma Swan believed their presence on the streets is a precursor to communism: “No to that. That is when we lose our freedom. The military’s job is to protect our country from the outside world, not inside.”
Recently, the Durterte administration deployed more police and military forces in the different parts of the country, with some calling it as a prelude to martial law, which the President denied.
“Brain conditioning na para Martial Law,” wrote Gordon G. Kilat on Facebook. “Okay ra man unta ang Martial Law ang problema ang mga abusado (Martial Law is fine, it’s the abusers that’s the problem).”
Discipline and safety are the top reasons why the majority are fine with the military’s presence -- some going as far as asking for martial law to attain concord.
“Mas nindot man gani’g mag Martial Law. Nganong mahadlok man mo’g Martial Law?” asked Enrique Q. Villegas Jr.