RDC-IDC7 Supports Emergency Powers for Pres. Duterte on Traffic Woes

A position paper will be submitted to the House Committee on Transportation by the Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) of the Regional Development Council (RDC-7) at the latest by tomorrow on its unequivocal support to grant emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte to solve the traffic problem in the country.

“I believe we are in a crisis,” lamented RDC-IDC7 chair Glenn Soco on the traffic situation in Metro Cebu, one of the areas included in the bill together with Metro Manila and other highly-urbanized cities in the country.

According to Soco, traffic affects our day-to-day life while it takes years to implement projects that address traffic congestion adding that Metro Cebu loses about P145 million a day due to traffic.

Such amount if summed up in a year can total around P80 billion which is sufficient to build mass transport system or highways, he said.

Metro Manila’s economic losses, on the other hand, reached a staggering P2.4 billion daily due to the worsening traffic problem as reported during the special meeting of the RDC-IDC7 early this week to tackle the position paper.

Among the provisions of the 12 House Bills filed on the emergency power grant to the President which are supported by the RDC-IDC7 include the reorganization or abolition of existing offices and creating new ones and the appointment of a traffic czar; establishment of a mass transport system in Metro Cebu; formulation of car ownership policies in relation to proof of parking and air pollution; imposition of parking regulations for vehicles; construction of covered queuing facility in designated jeepney stops along major thoroughfares; rationalization and reorganization of bus, jeepney and tricycle routes; opening up of private and public roads as additional access points for motorists; ride-sharing and the establishment of carpool lanes.

The RDC-IDC7 also proposed four measures in its position paper to mitigate the traffic bottlenecks in Metro Cebu and these are the establishment of an Area Traffic Control System, traffic management improvement by intersection, grade separation of intersections and geometric improvements and road widening.

Likewise, the committee also expressed support to the proposal to suspend the provision under the Local Government Code requiring prior consultation with and approval of local government units (LGUs) in connection to traffic-related projects within their respective localities. LGUs however, should be included in the coordination and planning process for traffic-related interventions.

In procurement, the committee also expressed support for the President to employ alternative methods of procurements such as limited source bidding, direct contracting, repeat order, shopping, negotiated procurement, and competitive challenge for unsolicited proposals as long as these are not disadvantageous to the government.

Furthermore, the position paper recommended the Department of Public Works and Highways to be included in the coordination and planning process while the emergency powers should also include speedy resolution of Right-of-Way cases in courts which should not be more than five months from the date a case is filed.

Also stipulated in the position paper is that the emergency powers granted to the President be exercised for three years only, unless sooner withdrawn or extended at any time by resolution of Congress.

In concluding its position, the IDC-7 stated its full support to grant the President emergency powers to address the traffic crisis and reiterates that the scope covers not only Metro Manila but also other highly-urbanized areas such as Metro Cebu. (rmn/fcr/PIA7)