Senate President Franklin Drilon on Friday filed a proposed measure granting emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte and warned that traffic cost could spike to P6 billion a day if the traffic condition continues unabated
Citing a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency in 2014, Drilon said traffic congestion results in an estimated productivity loss of around P2.4 billion a day ($54 million) or more than P800 billion ($18 billion) a year.
“The emergency power is already a ‘necessity’ given the magnitude of the transportation crisis that not only impedes the mobility of people, goods and services, but also threatens the livability of our cities,” the senator stressed.
Relatedly, the new chief of the transport department on Friday vowed to further improve the country’s urban public transport system through a “special power.”
“You want something more beautiful give us a special power,” Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade told reporters after the turnover ceremony.
Tugade said the “special power” is critical to relieve worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila, the overcapacity at the Manila’s three overhead rail systems and at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Senate Bill No. 11, or the “Transportation Crisis Act of 2016,” authorizes the President to adopt alternative methods of procurement for the construction repair, rehabilitation, improvement or maintenance of transportation projects aimed at the reduction of traffic congestion in Metro Manila and other urban areas.
These include limited source bidding, direct contracting, repeat order, shopping and negotiated procurement.
In the same proposed measure, Drilon also sought the establishment of a sole urban traffic management authority to streamline the management of traffic.
He said traffic woes are mainly due to the poor enforcement of traffic rules and the overlapping functions of government institutions like Department of Transportation and its attached agencies Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board and Land Transportation Office, the Metro Manila Development Authority and local government units.
Drilon said the MMDA and the Department of Transportation should be the urban traffic management authorities in Metro Manila and in other urban areas, respectively.
This meant the MMDA and the transportation department would absorb some functions currently being performed by the LTFRB, LTO and LGUs.
The bill will likewise allow the President to reorganize the DOT and its attached agencies, LTFRB and LTO, and the MMDA.
The proposed measure, which will be valid for two years after its effectivity, sought to get the necessary funds from the proceeds from the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge Fund, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and the current budget of the agencies involved.
Drilon noted that aside from the cities in Metro Manila, various urban areas such as Metro Cebu and Cagayan De Oro are also experiencing horrible traffic congestions, which hampered growth and development.
Tugade said special powers“would address unified traffic scheme or unified traffic rules, right of way and takeover of properties pag kailangan mo sa traffic for transpiration requirements. We do not intend to be arbitrary, capricious or whimsical or confiscatory. They will be asked for and negotiated for in the interest of common good following certain procedural matters to assure the public that it is not confiscatory.”
“My boss (President Rodrigo Duterte) told me to fix the traffic. There would be an improvement [but] don’t expect me to solve the traffic in one day completely. The traffic problem in the country is a product of a decade of negligence. Don’t expect me to resolve that in 100 days with a magic wand,” Tugade said.
He also vowed to resolve the corruption at the attached agencies of the DOT.
“I told them about my policy on corruption. I do not allow them now to accept any gifts, any time of the day, any day of the week, any week of the month, any month of the year. May rason o wala, bawal. But you have to politely decline that,” Tugade said.
The new transport chief also ordered to reduce the processing time by 50 percent to all its attached agencies in the next 60 days.
“Along this line, absolutely no fixers. I told them, If I see fixers, I will assume you as part of that mischief and I will define ‘fixer’ not only as people outside trying to facilitate papers but also from within,” Tugade said.
He also instructed the Land Transportation Office to find ways to increase the life of the licenses and car plates.
“I want it to increase to five years,” Tugade said.
Tugade also ordered the stop of long queues at the LTO, the LTFRB, the Metro Rail transit (MRT), the Light Rail Transit (LRT), the Philippine Ports Authority, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the Maritime Industry Authority.
Noel Kintanar, transport unsersecretary for rail and tollways, said the top priority of the agency is to increase the capacity of the MRT3 to address the congestion.
“So our target is to bring it as fastest as possible to 20 trains from 17 trains,” Kintanar said.
He added that the focus of his team is the maintenance of MRT3, LRT1 and LRT2.