Palace seeks emergency powers anew vs traffic
Malacañang yesterday cited the need for emergency powers to address the country’s transportation woes after Metro Manila was named one of the worst cities in Asia in terms of the time people spend daily in traffic jams.
A survey by transportation network company Uber indicated that people in Metro Manila spend the third longest average time being stuck in traffic daily at 66 minutes, longer than the average of 52 minutes in Asia.
Metro Manila ranked third after Bangkok with 72 minutes and Jakarta with 68 minutes. Hanoi ranked fourth with 58 minutes followed by Kuala Lumpur with 53 minutes.
Manila drivers spend about P100,000 each year looking for parking and sitting in traffic, according to the survey.
Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the government is already undertaking steps to address the traffic problem.
“This problem cannot be solved with one solution alone, it cannot be addressed in a single year either. We assure you however that this problem is being addressed now,” Andanar told state-run radio station Radyo Pilipinas.
Andanar said the traffic problem, both land and air, is the reason why the executive branch requested emergency powers from Congress.
“We really need to have emergency powers to implement the reforms we need,” he added.
Officials previously said emergency powers are needed to end what they called a “traffic crisis” that is costing the country billions everyday. Such authority will allow the government to skirt biddings to hasten the acquisition of equipment and open private subdivisions to traffic.
A study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency has estimated that the Philippines loses P2.4 billion a day because of traffic congestion.
Bills providing the executive branch emergency powers are still being discussed in the committee level in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Andanar said the Duterte administration is stepping up measures to ease the traffic problem while the bills on emergency powers are pending in Congress.
He said the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic has been formed to coordinate efforts to address the traffic gridlock. He said the council conducts “rigorous” road clearing operations every day to clear sidewalks.
Andanar noted that 14 point-to-point (P2P) bus routes have been designated in some areas, including Cavite and Clark, to lessen vehicle congestion in major thoroughfares.
“Soon we will have a P2P buses going to Pangasinan, Zambales, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija. And we see the P2P concept to the provinces as one solution to the major gridlock in Metro Manila. And we have likewise deployed more premium airports shuttle buses among other residents,” he added.
Andanar said the government has also proposed a Build, Build, Build infrastructure plan to cut congestion and improve the traffic flow.
“We also started transferring government offices to other regions such as the successful transfer of DOTr (Department of Transportation) to Clark which would decongest traffic congestion and will likewise spread developments in other areas,” he added.
Andanar said the administration has also proposed the transfer of private planes from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to another airport.
“The NAIA 1, 2, 3 and air space included is really just not enough for the air traffic that the three airports are handling right now,” he added.