Just like a thoroughbred in a horse racing, the
young Manila mayor on the first week of his office already made a statement –
and that is to put things into order.
In the first week alone, he was able to clean the
major streets that are the busy ones in the nation’s capital.
Areas of Quiapo, Blumentritt, Sta. Cruz, Recto,
and Divisoria are now places that are clean and pedestrian friendly.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno (photo credit to owner) |
Those are few examples that the trailblazing
Mayor Isko Moreno is doing, what the previous local administration was not able
to do in the years they were office, Mayor Isko has been doing it in a record
pace.
Veteran journalist Jairus Bondoc has taken notice
of the changes being implemented by the young Manila mayor, in his article
titled “Isko Moreno simply fixing Manila’s ‘broken windows” in Philippine Star
he describes the action as following the “broken windows theory” :
“Isko is only fixing Manila’s “broken windows.” “Only” makes
it seem so easy. But a million and one blights demand attention. The city is so
rundown by decades of neglect. Racketeers and squatters abound. Isko will need
to remold the thinking of Manilans.”
“Mayor Isko too
unintentionally unearthed crimes. On his first week in office he evicted
illegal street hawkers from the Divisoria-Santa
Cruz accessoria districts. Their littering and traffic clogging had
to end once and for all. To Isko’s surprise, he was offered P5 million a day
bribe – P150 million a month or P1.8 billion a year – to let them stay. It
turned out that a syndicate involving barangay, city hall, and police officials
were involved.”
In the interest of public knowledge and for the
sake of clarity and full understanding we are quoting in full the article of
Mr. Jairus Bondoc below.
Isko Moreno simply fixing Manila’s ‘broken
windows
Filipinos marvel at new Manila Mayor Isko Moreno because he’s
a magician. All he did was hose down dirty roads, parks and markets. And
presto! In the process he curbed street chaos and bureaucratic sleaze, and is
making the national capital livable again.
Isko is only fixing Manila’s “broken windows.” “Only” makes
it seem so easy. But a million and one blights demand attention. The city is so
rundown by decades of neglect. Racketeers and squatters abound. Isko will need
to remold the thinking of Manilans.
“Broken Windows Theory” holds that an epidemic of disorder is
the result of little untidiness left to fester. American sociologists James Q.
Wilson and George Kelling in 1982 likened it to a building’s broken window. If
unrepaired, passersby will think nobody cares. Soon vandals will break more windows
and trespass. Trouble will spill out to the street. Citizens will avoid the
area. Thugs will take over, peddling drugs, mugging, and murdering. Conversely,
fixing the broken window at once spreads the spirit of neatness. People notice.
Other buildings are spruced up. The district prospers.
The theory was put to test in the New York City subway system in the 1990s. Hired as transit authority consultant, Kelling invited fellow believer David Gunn to run the multibillion-dollar upgrading. Part of it was confronting vandalism. At night street gangs spray-painted graffiti on the coaches, but Gunn had them all scrubbed cleaned and fresh for the next morning’s run. Months later, their “masterpieces” never seeing the light of day, the vandals gave up. Then Gunn took on the fare-beaters whom the police, busy with serious crimes, thought too minor. Gunn worried that if riders jumping the turnstiles went unpunished, then more would try to get away with it too.
They’d sneer, “If they
don’t pay, why should I?” Disrespect for rules would reign. William Bratton,
head of the transit police, made sure not a single broken window, in the form
of fare-beaters, was left unfixed. Plainclothes lawmen made a show of arresting
the toll jumpers. In the process they discovered: one in seven arrestees had a
pending warrant, and one in 20 illegally was carrying a firearm. Noticing the
fare cheats being nabbed, subway muggers stayed away.
Mayor Isko too unintentionally unearthed crimes. On his first
week in office he evicted illegal street hawkers from the Divisoria-Santa
Cruz accessoria districts. Their littering and traffic clogging had
to end once and for all. To Isko’s surprise, he was offered P5 million a day
bribe – P150 million a month or P1.8 billion a year – to let them stay. It
turned out that a syndicate involving barangay, city hall, and police officials
were involved. Huge amounts were collected from the vendors in exchange for
illegally occupying the streets and sidewalks. Through the years sub-rackets
had evolved, ranging from illegal water and electricity connections for the
stalls, to unlicensed permanent constructions. A monopoly even made a killing
renting out parasols, plastic stools, and folding beds to the hawkers.
The flushing out of the syndicate led to the dismissal of crooked public supervisors. The prosperity is palpable. With illegal vendors gone, vehicles started moving. Engine emissions and noise lessened. Shoppers and legitimate storeowners began to breath easy. Police foot patrols increased, along with tourists. Pickpockets and panhandlers disappeared. Barangay councils and police precincts in other districts of Manila felt compelled to follow suit.
“Broken Windows Theory” is credited in part for the decline
in New York City’s crime rate during Rudi Giuliani’s mayoralty. With Bratton
elevated to police commissioner, the duo took a zero-tolerance approach to
low-level offenses, including public drunkenness. Eliminated were the notorious
squeegee men, who ostensibly washed the windshields of cars stalled in traffic
but actually extorted cash. Societal and individual attitudes changed due to
conscious constant tidying up, noted science journalist Malcolm Gladwell in his
bestseller “Tipping Point.” Other factors contributed: the crack cocaine
epidemic had declined, the economy perked up, and youth offenders found gainful
work or simply grew old so turned away from crime.
Perhaps noticing Isko’s success, President Rody Duterte has
ordered a nationwide clearing of public roads. Interior Sec. Eduardo Año is to
suspend and indict local government executives who fail to comply. Laggards
shall be assumed to be in on rackets. Pilot replication area is Metro Manila,
where traffic congestion is worst.
Authorities would do well to study “Broken Windows Theory.” They cannot let the smallest infractions go unfixed. That includes illegal parkers, sidewalk encroachers, park hobos, drugged street children, reckless jitney and tricycle drivers, jaywalkers, and litterbugs. If successful, they can then take on building owners with no parking bays, land-grabbers, and river polluters. Health, sanitation, and environment would improve. Manila Bay and other waterways would be rehabbed.
The concept is plain: neatness undercuts crime.
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