October 16 - 31 , 2016 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY A5 Emergency powers readied for Duterte to solve Philippine traffic crisis
A committee of the House of Representatives in the Philippines concluded its 10th and last hearing on the proposed Traffic Crisis Bill .
The measure being considered by the House committee on transportation seeks to grant emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte to address the traffic crisis in the country .
The committee chaired by Rep . Cesar V . Sarmiento ( Lone District , Catanduanes ) concluded its hearings and consultations with several findings , notable among them : the traffic crisis is concentrated in metropolitan areas only , particularly in Metro Manila and nearby Metro Cebu and Davao City ; and the crisis is limited to land transportation .
Other committee findings were : in resolving the traffic problem , many are at risk of being displaced ; there is a need to harmonize various traffic laws and traffic regulatory powers ; inter-agency cooperation is a must ; driver competence and vehicle roadworthiness are vital ; the mass transport system should be improved all over the country , and not just where the crisis exists ; and immediate solutions may be implemented at once even in the absence of a Traffic Crisis Act or any emergency powers .
These findings are the reasons why the committee wanted foremost to limit the scope of the bill to the particular areas mentioned and to cover only land transportation .
Sarmiento said in crafting the bill , they will also the support the mechanisms for those who will be displaced in the form of existing programs of various government agencies , among them the Department of Social Welfare and Development ( DSWD ), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority ( TESDA ), Department of Labor and Employment ( D O L E ) , Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration ( P O E A ) , Development Bank of the Philippines ( D B P ) , Department of Education
( DepEd ) and Commission on Higher Education ( CHED ).
Sarmiento further said that a single traffic authority and unified traffic system are also needed and must be supported by all concerned agencies and local government units ( LGUs ) working in unison .
Lawyer Maria Paula Domingo of the Department of Budget and Management ( DBM ) Legal Service said that in reference to the
Supreme Court rulings on the Belgica case or the Priority Development Assistance Fund ( PDAF ), Malampaya Fund and the Presidential Social Fund , the funding provision for the proposed emergency powers should contain a determinable amount of what is needed , its specific public purpose , and specific fund sources .
The DBM Government Procurement Policy Board- Technical Support Service
CONT ON PAGE A10
WWW . PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY . COM