PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued an administrative order prohibiting public officials and personnel from using sirens, blinkers and other similar signaling or flashing devices, reminding them that being in government is not a privilege that allows them to break traffic rules.

In Administrative Order (AO) 18, which he signed on March 25, Marcos said the unauthorized and indiscriminate use of sirens, blinkers and other similar signaling or flashing devices has been rampant, causing traffic disruptions and unsafe road and traffic environments.

"All government officials and personnel are hereby prohibited from utilizing sirens, blinkers and other similar gadgets that produce exceptionally loud or startling sound, including dome lights, blinkers, or other similar signaling or flashing devices," the President said in his order.

"This administration is committed to promote the welfare and the well-being of the general public by ensuring a safe and more organized road and traffic environment," he added.

The President said the unauthorized and improper use of signaling or flashing devices will be dealt with in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations.

Exempted from the order are the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police, fire trucks, hospital ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

"In this light, all government officials and personnel are hereby reminded that use of sirens, dome lights, blinkers and other similar devices shall only be under exigent or emergency circumstances or situations or to ensure the expedient and safe passage of emergency responders," Marcos said.

AO 18 will take effect immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette, or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Over the weekend, Marcos reminded public officials and employees that being in government is not a privilege that allows them to break traffic rules, prodding them to set an example in following road etiquette.

This was not the first time a Philippine president issued an order against the improper use of sirens and signaling devices.

The late former president Benigno Aquino III made the banning of the indiscriminate use of sirens and such devices a keystone policy and characteristic of his administration. Former president Rodrigo Duterte said in a speech in 2018 that he would maintain the policy.

Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Motorists experience heavy traffic along Commonwealth in Quezon City during the morning rush hour on Thursday, April 11, 2024. To ease congestion in Metro Manila, Don Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reset office hours to 7 a.m.-4 p.m. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. starting on Monday, April 15. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN

Presidential Decree 96 issued by the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in 1973, made the use of sirens, bells, horns, whistles or similar gadgets illegal for common vehicle owners.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said it was also time to limit the sale of sirens, blinkers, dome lights and similar devices.

Villanueva said he agrees with the President's latest order on sirens, because it is the responsibility of public officials to set an example for the public to obey traffic laws.

But he also said it was time to limit the sale of all signaling devices in vehicles to "official use" only by agencies such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Bureau of Investigation, police and fire departments, and ambulances.

Sen. Grace Poe supported the new order and said public officials should be the first to set the right example and "shun the display of self-entitlement on the road."

"This simple rule on the 'wang-wang' (sirens) ban should be enforced fairly and universally on the road," said Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services.

Sen. Imee Marcos said those who abuse the use of these devices should be apprehended and be held liable under the law.

Sen. JV Ejercito also supported the President's order, saying the use of sirens and escorts has become a trend among government officials these days, creating a feeling of entitlement.

Ejercito, who sometimes bikes to work, said he never used a siren or blinker.

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