THE Department of Transportation has submitted its list of projects and a draft bill on emergency powers to address the transportation crisis to the Senate committee, headed by Senator Grace Poe.
Poe welcomed the submission of the 64-page document about a week after the legislator called on the department to lay down plans before another hearing is set.
Poe said the Duterte administration is seeking the disempowerment of the Land Transportation Authority, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and even local government in the management of traffic and will instead be implemented under the leadership of the DOTr.
Poe said the Senate is aware of the urgency of the matter and the need to hasten the passage of the measure but also asked concerned government agencies to already do what they can even without the emergency powers.
The senator, who earlier decided to hold off public hearings on the proposal in the light of lack of any feasible plans that the DOTr would implement under such powers, said her committee is already scrutinizing the DOTr proposal.
She noted that the DoTr proposal included projects for the expansion of the railway system and airport traffic congestion.
“But is is not clear to me how they can decongest traffic in “highly urbanized areas” without including projects for Cebu, Davao and what projects will be implemented there,” Poe added.
In the meantime, the senator assured that the public services committee is continuing technical working group meetings to consult stakeholders to pave the way for a full-blown public hearing on Sept. 22.
She said the technical working group will scrutinize the list of projects on Sept. 8 but stressed that they have to consult affected sectors. The hearings will resume Sept. 22 when local government units will be given the chance to comment on the impact of the projects.
Poe does not see any hurdle in approving the proposed emergency powers measure in the Senate as her colleagues expressed support on the need for Duterte’s emergency powers so long as there are enough safeguards to prevent possible abuses.
DOTr’s submissions to the committee included projects for road, rail and air transport sectors and details establishing a single authority to manage traffic, expediting procurement processes for transportation projects, limiting the issuance of temporary restraining orders and injunctions to the Supreme Court, exempting key transportation projects from restrictive audit rules, expediting expropriation process for right-of-way acquisitions, and reorganizing the DOTr to provide enough manpower in implementing projects.
Under the DOTr’s draft bill, contracts entered into by the Executive branch, including qualifications of contractors, budgetary estimates, shall be published on a website.
The duration of authority granted to the President shall be valid for three years unless sooner withdrawn by Congress.
A congressional oversight committee will be established to be composed of five members each from the Senate and the House of Representatives.
