Emergency powers over traffic: 2022 Grace Poe’s Catch-22?

WITH

the Emergency Powers issue, Sen. Grace Poe may have unwittingly put her own political future between a rock and a hard place.

“Catastrophic” accurately describes the traffic situation in the country’s biggest metropolitan areas Manila, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao today, an issue that has plagued the national government even before President Duterte came along. While the administration may have tried its best, the fact remains that resultant improvements have so far been marginal at best.

Recognizing the traffic situation as a national emergency, Sen. Francis Tolentino filed in July Senate Bill 213, “Special Emergency Powers Act,” a reiteration of Sen. Franklin Drilon SB 11 in 2016, a.k.a. the “Transportation Crisis Act of 2016.”

Tolentino filed SB 213 because Drilon’s SB 11 failed to hurdle the Public Services Committee, which Grace Poe has chaired since 2016.

Poe has always been vocal with her reservations over Emergency Powers, a reluctance best encapsulated by her 2016 speech where she compared it to the emergency powers vs brownouts granted in the 1990s to President Fidel Ramos.

Poe said “until now, we have one of the most expensive power rates in the world and some people say it’s because of the emergency powers.”

The power crisis back then was so bad, a blockbuster movie satirizing it was made. Remember the 1993 film “Gagay: Prinsesa ng Brownout” featuring Gelli de Belen? Yes, that’s the one.

While I hate looking at my Meralco bill, I can in all honesty say that expensive electricity is better than no electricity at all. Similarly, anything’s better than spending half a day inside a metal coffin just to get to and from work every day.

I think the general public shares my sentiment, and Poe has started feeling the heat, as evidenced by media blitzes that she was never really known for doing.

Lest we forget, Poe is widely seen as a serious 2022 presidential contender… and this notion provides the logic missing in her opposition to the measure.

A vast majority of voters live in urban areas. Hence, fixing the seemingly impossible tax of fixing urban traffic is the best promotion for the administration’s 2022 contender… a scary idea for an opposition or independent presidentiable.

With the assumption that Poe runs in 2022, the emergency powers issue may have taken on new dimensions – a critical blowback – that she may never have foreseen.

Poe in the latest Senate hearings blamed traffic on Transportation Sec. Art Tugade, accused him of sub-standard performance and called for his resignation.

This is an especially problematic proposition because DoTr’s accomplishments are well-publicized and well-received, and these numerous accomplishments totally eclipse the performance of Tugade’s predecessor Emilio Abaya. Yes, the same Abaya who was widely credited for the 2014 MRT Extension, i.e., when a dilapidated MRT train rammed through steel barricades, injured 50, spilled onto the pavement, and extended MRT’s route by about 20 meters towards Taft Avenue.

Moderately popular Poe attacked extremely popular Tugade… and nothing can be worse in terms of political strategy. Exacerbating her predicament is the fact that her attack backfired as it underscored her own shortcomings as a public servant.

In my best recollection, Poe in the last Congress had only one landmark bill (the national feeding program) that, truth be told, is not as sparkly as, say, Tugade’s Metro Manila Subway and LRT-1 Extension, both of which are already under construction.

Taking the Emergency Powers Act hostage may prevent a 2022 administration rival from gaining a head start, but Public Opinion over her inaction has gone so bad that many Filipinos have started to blame her for traffic. To make matters worse for Poe, other 2022 rivals stand to benefit from her inaction as she suffers all the side effects.

Poe can of course change her mind, support the bill, and hope that the public forgives and forgets… but it may be too little too late, especially after she sat on Drilon’s SB 11 for three years.

Poe’s 2022 Catch-22? Poe’s continued inaction hurts her popularity and a change of heart may just emphasize it.

Poe’s on her 2nd and last senatorial term so she has no other choice but to gun for the presidency or Vicepresidency, both of which are zero-sum positions.

But how can she win if Filipinos are reminded daily of the earth-shattering traffic that could’ve been much more bearable if she hadn’t been around?