President-elect Rodrigo Duterte
The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) has reiterated its call to grant emergency powers to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to solve the perennial problem of traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
MAP gov. Eduardo “Eddie” Yap said emergency powers would allow the incoming President to clear all roadblocks in the traffic flow, including local ordinances on parking and franchise of bus terminals.
“Hindi naman tayo pwedeng umasa sa Edsa lang eh. Kailangan natin mga alternate routes, eh kaso may mga permiso na pwedeng pumarada, pwedeng magtayo ng talyer o kung anu-ano. So kailangan may power si Presidente na i-override ‘yung mga ordinansa na ‘yan,” Yap said over Radyo Inquirer 990AM.
“Pangalawa ‘yung mga permiso na ibinigay sa mga bus terminals. Dito naman sa Edsa, sa Pasay, marami din diyan. Eh kada papasok ‘yung bus o lalabas apektado na ‘yung trapiko. Ang kailangan kasi sa isang highway tulad ng Edsa o C5, kailangan diyan tuluy-tuloy ang daloy ng trapiko diyan, hindi pwedeng pahintu-hinto. Sa laki ng volume ng sasakyan, kailangan tuluy-tuloy ang daloy para ma-clear,” he added.
Emergency powers are a prerogative that can be invoked when the country is in a state of war or nationwide calamity.
Yap said emergency powers were needed to allow the creation of a bus consortium in the capital for a more organized public transportation system.
“Sa dami ng mga bus natin, halimbawa sa Edsa nakikita natin libu-libo ‘yung operasyon at ang daming prangkisa, kailangang i-organize ‘yan. Hindi pwedeng isang kalakihang siyudad katulad ng Metro Manila, hindi pwede ‘yung kanya-kanya ang sistema ng public transportation. Kinakailangan maayos, organized, isang system. Kaya without emergency powers, hindi magagawa ‘yan,” he said.
Yap noted that a combination of management and engineering measures were needed to solve the metro traffic, which has been dubbed one of the worst in the world.
He also expressed optimism on Duterte’s choice to head the Department of Transportation and Communications, in the person of Arthur Tugade.