HOUSE leaders on Saturday said Congress will approve the proposed emergency powers for President Rodrigo Duterte being sought by the Department of Transportation—only if the agency would be able to identify and define the traffic and transportation crisis.
Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, chairman of the House committee on transportation, said “failure to determine the crisis may lead to a grant of power that is misplaced or beyond what is required.”
During the congressional hearing conducted by Sarmiento’s panel on the proposed emergency powers for the President, lawmakers grilled DOTr Secretary Arturo Tugade for his failure to define the parameters and scope of the special powers they want for the President to address the huge vehicular traffic in Metro Manila and key cities in the country.
Lawmakers, led by Kabayan party-list Rep. Harry Roque, said the provisions of the proposed emergency powers such as on procurement have been covered by present laws.
Sarmiento said his panel would conduct another round of hearings to ask for specifics from the DOTr before they could actually decide on the proposal for emergency powers.
Tugade earlier said without the emergency powers, the crisis can still be solved but with a longer timeframe, which is not good because P2.4 billion is lost every day due to productivity losses arising from severe traffic congestion and other transportation issues in Metro Manila.
Tugade gave assurances, however, the emergency powers will only last for two years.
Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate of Bayan Muna, a stauch Duterte supporter, backed the idea of carefully scrutinizing the plans and programs included in the emergency powers.
“We have to scrutinuze this proposal very carefully to erase fears over possible abuse of the powers,” Zarate said.
Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, chairman of the Metro Manila Development Committee, identified some issues the emergency powers can tackle, such as secondary access roads that can be used to mitigate traffic congestion in several areas of Metro Manila, bidding and procurement issues and MMDA’s council resolutions that do not have the force and effect of a law.
Castelo authored House Bill 1315 or the Metro Manila Gridlock of 2016, which addresses the traffic crisis within Metro Manila by empowering the President to reorganize the Metro Manila Development Authority and realign existing funds.
The committee, meanwhile, is planning to consolidate 10 bills on the emergency powers already filed.
