“I Admit It: I Love Watching MMDA Clearing Operations”

 “I Admit It: I Love Watching MMDA Clearing Operations”

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

There are probably many things a normal, well-adjusted adult should enjoy watching.

A good movie.

A beautiful sunset.

A sporting event.

Perhaps even a documentary about something educational.

Me?

I enjoy watching MMDA clearing operations.

I admit it.

There is something deeply satisfying about watching a tow truck arrive for a vehicle that has been illegally parked.

I know that sounds terrible.

But hear me out.

There is a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from seeing a rule actually being enforced in real time.

You see a car parked where it should not be. Traffic is already suffering because of it. Then, eventually, the MMDA arrives.

The tow truck appears.

And suddenly, the owner comes running.

That is when the entertainment begins.

Suddenly, the person who was perfectly comfortable leaving the vehicle wherever they wanted becomes very interested in explaining why the rules should not apply to them.

“I'll only be here for a few minutes.”

“I was just buying something.”

“May I explain?”

And, my personal favorite:

“Kilala ko si Mayor.”

Sometimes it is not the mayor.

Sometimes it is somebody from the barangay.

Sometimes it is somebody who supposedly knows somebody who knows somebody.

There always seems to be a mysterious connection somewhere.

And yet the tow truck remains.

That, for me, is the beautiful part.

Because the tow truck does not care who you know.

It does not care about your position.

It does not care about your explanation.

It is simply there to do its job.

And when the vehicle finally gets hooked up, there is this strange moment when the entire argument suddenly becomes much less philosophical.

The car is moving.

The law has been applied.

And everybody watching understands exactly what happened.

I think that is what I actually enjoy about these clearing operations.

It is not really about seeing someone suffer a consequence.

It is about seeing something that often feels absent from everyday life:

Accountability.

We encounter small violations everywhere. People park on sidewalks. They block intersections. They occupy spaces meant for pedestrians. They stop wherever it is convenient for them and expect everyone else to adjust.

And most of the time, nothing happens.

So when something finally does happen, it feels almost cathartic.

Of course, watching these operations also reminds me that there is another side to it.

These confrontations can become ugly very quickly.

People get angry.

Enforcers get shouted at.

Drivers become defensive.

Somebody inevitably starts recording.

Someone else starts invoking connections.

And before long, what began as a simple traffic violation becomes a full-blown argument about authority, privilege, respect, and who supposedly has the right to tell whom what to do.

That part is not particularly entertaining.

It is exhausting.

Which is probably why I have learned that this particular guilty pleasure is best consumed in moderation.

Still, I cannot deny it.

There is something satisfying about watching a tow truck arrive at exactly the right moment.

Especially when the person who parked illegally suddenly discovers that they have a very important phone call to make.

Maybe that makes me petty.

Maybe it makes me a terrible person.

Or maybe, after spending years watching people bend rules because they assume there will never be consequences, there is simply something reassuring about seeing a system occasionally work exactly as it is supposed to.

No shouting.

No connections.

No special treatment.

Just a tow truck.

And a very expensive lesson in parking properly.

I admit it.

I love watching MMDA clearing operations.

Just don't ask me to explain why.

I might have to call someone.

Preferably someone who knows the tow truck driver.