(NI DANG SAMSON-GARCIA)

NANINDIGAN si Senador Grace Poe na hindi dapat siya ang sisihin kung hindi pa rin naaaprubahan ang hinihiling na emergency powers para kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte upang solusyunan ang problema sa trapiko.

“I am not the one in the driver’s seat, when it comes to traffic. It’s an administration issue, not a legislative one,” saad ni Poe.

Iginiit ng chairperson ng Senate Committee on Public Services na bigo ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno na dipensahan ang hinihinging dagdag kapangyarihan para sa Punong Ehekutibo.

Binigyang-diin pa nito na may kapangyarihan na ang Pangulo na pagsama-samahin ang mga Cabinet members na may kinalaman sa trapiko partikular ang Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) at Department of Transportation (DOTr) upang bumalangkas ng traffic masterplan.

“They could have huddled over a traffic plan. That’s all I have been asking for — a traffic plan and a transportation plan — which they did not submit,” diin ni Poe.

“If they say we did submit a list of projects for emergency powers, yes they did, it included facial recognition software for their employees. What does that have to do with decongestion?” dagdag pa nito.

Nanindigan si Poe na hindi na kailangan pa ng emergency power dahil may mga batas na sa mga gustong paggamitan nito tulad ng procurement laws.

“I don’t know if it’s ignorance of the law or playing ignorant but I am sure they could have done their research. There are already several laws in place,” diin pa ng senador.