A bill granting emergency powers to President Duterte to solve the Philippines’ alarming transportation crisis has been filed in the Senate and is expected to be tackled immediately upon the opening of the 17th Congress on July 25.
Senate President Franklin M. Drilon filed Senate Bill No. 11 or the “Transportation Crisis Act of 2016” that seeks to authorize the President to adopt alternative methods of procurement for the construction repair, rehabilitation, improvement, or maintenance of transportation projects aimed at reducing traffic congestion in Metro Manila and other major cities in the country as well.
Drilon, a member of the Liberal Party who earlier threw his support to the Duterte administration’s legislative agenda, acknowledged that the emergency power being sought by the new government is already a “necessity” given the magnitude of traffic experienced in urban areas.
The senator said apart from Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Cagayan de Oro City are also experiencing unbearable traffic, hampering growth and urban development in these areas. (Hannah L. Torregoza)