SENATOR Grace Poe, chair of committee on public services, on Friday said they are already preparing a committee report on the request of Malacañang for emergency powers to address the worsening traffic crisis in the country's key urban centers.
Malacañang had sought emergency powers to fix the country's transportation crisis and speed up key infrastructure projects.
Poe's panel recently completed its third and final public hearing. The committee report will be submitted to plenary in November.
The final report will be prepared by three technical working groups (TWGs) which will draft a committee report on the emergency powers bill and specify locations of the projects.
Poe said the emergency powers bill may hurdle the Senate by December, given that the proposed P3.35 trillion spending program for 2017 takes precedence.
Recognizing that billions are wasted due to daily traffic, Poe said the Senate would expedite deliberations on the proposal but assured that lawmakers will closely scrutinize projects in the pipeline.
Poe said a number of challenges in the current traffic mayhem could be addressed sans emergency powers, such as road clearing and strict implementation of traffic rules, lamenting traffic gridlocks in many areas such as Kalentong in Mandaluyong and Marcos Highway that traverses Marikina and Pasig.
"We owe it the people, to make sure that the powers granted to the Executive will not be to the people's disadvantage," she said.
If approved, the measure would grant President Rodrigo Duterte, for a period of two years, the power to do away with tedious public bidding and instead use alternative procurement methods and implementation of transportation projects will proceed "unhampered by existing laws, agreements, regulations, court orders and procedures that may cause delay in addressing the crisis."
Other key features of the emergency powers is that it authorizes Duterte to reorganize the Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Civil Aeronautics Board, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group and all other agencies in the transportation sector and rationalize their functions.
The measure is expected to designate the Transportation secretary as Traffic Crisis Manager who will exercise overall land, air and sea traffic management and control. (Sunnex)