BOTH chambers of Congress are separately asking transport authorities to submit details of their plans and projects to be covered by the emergency powers sought by the executive department.
“We have to make sure their plans are detailed, the scope well-defined, time-bound, transparent and, more importantly, will have direct impact to address the traffic emergency,” Senator Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate committee on public services, said during a hearing Wednesday.
In the House of Representatives, leaders demanded the Department of Transportation submit a concrete list of projects to be covered by the emergency powers sought by the executive branch to address the worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila and in neighboring provinces.
At the same time, they said they will not allow blanket and excessive powers which may be misused and abused by unscrupulous transportation officials.
During the hearing Wednesday conducted by the House committee on transportation, the panel chairman and Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, called the attention of DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade for failing to present any document before the panel on the specific parameters of the proposed emergency powers.
“What exactly do you want to do in the next 28 days?” Sarmiento asked. “We are asking you [DOTr] to define the scope of the crisis because clear problems will demand clear solutions.”
He warned that failure of the transportation department to comply “may lead to a grant of power that is misplaced or beyond what is required.”
In the Senate, Poe vowed to hasten legislative action on the proposal to address the traffic crisis as it resumes its hearing today on the emergency powers requested by the administration.
‘‘We want to hear from among the various transport agencies of the government, in particular the Transportation department, details of their plans and programs relative to the emergency powers asked from Congress,” said Poe.
The third public hearing is scheduled at 9 a.m. at the Senate Session Hall today.
Expected to attend the public hearing are officials from the DOTr, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and mayors from various local government units in Metro Manila and other urban areas.
The committee earlier suspended public hearings on the proposal but conducted consultative meetings with affected sectors and various transportation groups pending submission of a draft bill on emergency powers from the DOTr.
The agency submitted earlier this month a 64-page manuscript containing the draft bill and list of specific projects to be implemented
In the House, Sarmiento said the scope must include “a list of agencies to be reorganized in the proposed reorganization plan; projects to be exempted from competitive bidding; list of projects the DOTr wants to be protected from temporary restraining orders and injunctions from lower courts; and a list of private subdivisions whose gates and roads needed to be opened to address the traffic crisis.”
Sarmiento said his panel would also form a technical working group to study and consolidate the 10 proposals on emergency powers filed in the chamber.
Earlier, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said the lackluster performance of Tugade and his team as well as their previous ties to private companies that have interests in transportation projects make him wary of granting blanket emergency powers to the DOTr.
Undersecretary for Railway Noel Kintanar has previously served as assistant vice president of Ayala Corp. while Undersecretary for Air Operations Bobby Lim was formerly country manager of the International Air Transport Association.
“I’m not satisfied with their performance so far. They are in their first 100 days and we should be experiencing changes already. They should have done this yesterday,” Alvarez said.
“So it cannot be that we’d allow blanket emergency powers. We have to identify which areas will need emergency powers. It cannot be a blanket coverage,” he added.
Kabayan party-list Rep. Harry Roque Jr. also noted that most of the provisions in the emergency powers bill are already provided for in the Constitution.
He also questioned the DOTr if they define “emergency” as stated in the Constitution to be “sudden, unforeseen and dangerous” as the present traffic problem is certainly neither sudden nor unforeseen.
“What you want is blanket authority to disregard the laws when you want to disregard these laws,” Roque said. “It is not something we can take lightly.”
The proposed emergency powers was listed as among the priority measures the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council–a consultative and advisory body to the President composed of lawmakers and Cabinet members–wants immediately passed, along with a handful of economic, social and security legislation.
The proposed emergency powers bill seeks to address the traffic crisis by expediting procurement processes to roll out transportation projects and establishing a single and central traffic authority to manage traffic, among others.
The expected duration of the emergency powers that may be granted to the President could be for a period of at least two years, depending on the plans and programs needed to be carried out to address the traffic mess, 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.