WORSE MESS: After claiming to have driven away colorum (illegal) buses from Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) to ease traffic, sadistic authorities unleashed behemoth trucks on this eternally clogged artery of Metro Manila.

While the colorum buses stole space on the public-utility lanes, these superheavy trucks simply spilled into EDSA in total disorder, pushing away motorists from their usual place in the inner lanes.

How do we harassed motorists survive the challenge of newly empowered truck drivers who have entered city streets still primed by their highway driving habits?

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WHO LET THEM?: These are not ordinary delivery vans, but oversized haulers groaning under their load of steel products, wet sand and other cargo covered by tarpaulin.

These were the same trucks that destroyed the southbound lanes of the old North Luzon Expressway before its rehabilitation under the management of the Manila North Tollways Corp.

Who unleashed these monster trucks creating chaos and craters on EDSA? Did the truck owners have to pay somebody for this privilege of replacing the colorum buses?

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HOSTAGE DRAMA: What’s happening to the country, general? The police have not yet wrapped up the case involving a police officer caught on camera torturing a naked suspect writhing in pain on the floor of his office.

Then came this embarrassing episode involving another police officer who boarded a sightseeing bus and took hostage 25 passengers, most of them Hong Kong tourists.

The hostage taker was identified as dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, 55. Armed with an M16 rifle, he demanded that he be given back his job and his records corrected.

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WATCHING WORLD: As we write this, several hostages have been released by the hostage-taker whose beef is that he was unjustly charged and dismissed for crimes he did not commit.

The bus driver has broken loose and escaped through he window. The police have stormed the bus, placing the safety of the hostages in serious jeopardy.

The hostage drama was taking place while the media and the wire services filed stories, pictures and video clips of the bus incidernt in front of the Luneta grandstand.

The scenario earlier became more complicated — still on camera for the world to see – when Mendoza’s brother and family members screamed out to the media their fears and misgivings.

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VIOLENT MODE: Does a disgruntled government worker have to resort to such a drastic measure as taking hostage a busload of tourists just to have justice in this country?

Clearly some laws were violated when Mendoza took the hostages. Will the government, particularly the Ombudsman, now review his case and be kinder to him because of his resort to violence and public airing of his grievances?

Would his case be differently handled if he did not take such irregular action?  (Assuming he comes out of this alive.)

It is not just tourism, but the police service and the justice system that suffered a blackeye with this incident.

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ANGUE’S CASE: We are reminded of Rear Admiral Feliciano Angue who took the extraordinary route days ago of pouring out to media in front of his assembled troops his grievances against the service.

Based on statements of high military officers, it seems that Angue will be spared the usual disciplinary action for such behavior going against the rules of the service.

In fact, the high command is now saying that Angue may still be promoted to three-star general, the rank that he said he was deprived when he was ordered transferred to the Naval Forces Western Mindanao, a two-star post.

Angue claimed that the AFP promotion system has been politicized and that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin was meddling in the assignment of posts. Military and defense officials belied his allegations.

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DIPLOMATIC?: A related case involved another government official, this time Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson. It was reported that Hong Kong authorities took his passport to make sure he does not leave till charges of carrying cocaine are cleared.

What struck us was the report that the congressman had a diplomatic passport. Since this was neither denied nor clarified by Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, we assume that the report is true.

But why was Singson armed with a diplomatic passport when he entered Hong Kong? Did diplomatic immunity figure in the near-entry of the prohibited drugs?

To help clear the air, the Department of Foreign Affairs should publish a complete list of persons, including legislative officials, who have been issued diplomatic passports — and for what reasons.

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PORT COURTESY: The Philippines has become notorious for issuing diplomatic passports to just anybody with connections, presumably to enable them to claim diplomatic immunity and easy access to foreign ports.

This is one of the reasons why many immigration and customs inspectors in foreign ports do not look too kindly on bearers of Philippine diplomatic passports.

Kaya tuloy, ambassadors, consuls and other legitimate holders of Philippine diplomatic passports are sometimes not promptly accorded the courtesy of the port to which they are entitled.

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PING’S PASSPORT: Do not be surprised if even fugitive senator Ping Lacson may have been also carrying a diplomatic passport. But that is now academic since his passport has been cancelled by the foreign office.

Now without a valid passport, Lacson runs the risk of being detained when spotted by police or immigration officers in other countries. His extradition to his home country is also possible, but that is a complicated legal and political process.

That is assuming Lacson is out of the country. There are persistent reports that he is still around, one report locating him in a special zone in Northern Luzon from where he can communicate with selected friends and relatives.