Sen. Grace Poe yesterday reiterated the need for emergency powers saying that this could clear roadblocks in completing the MRT-LRT common station project that has been delayed for several years.
Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, is the principal sponsor of Senate Bill No. 1284 or “An Act Compelling the Government to Address the Transportation and Congestion Crisis Through the Grant of Emergency Powers to the President.”
According to the senator, the government and the private sector could invoke some provisions in the emergency powers measure to avoid delays in the construction of the common station project that would connect three elevated urban railways – the LRT-1, EDSA MRT-3 and the proposed MRT-7.
“It [emergency powers] will help… because I think there’s also certain rights-of-way acquisition. It will prevent the lower courts from issuing temporary restraining orders and injunctions,” said Poe. (Elena Aben)