‘Traffic powers might lead Rody to scrap contracts’

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara expressed concern yesterday over the possibility that president-elect Rodrigo Duterte might scrap contracts and forgo bidding procedures once Congress grants him emergency powers to address the traffic problem in Metro Manila.

“Emergency powers are possible and we are open to that as the problem of traffic has reached crisis proportions with people spending four to five hours in traffic a day,” said Angara, chairman of the Senate ways and means committee.

He said, however, that lawmakers should provide proper safeguards on the proposal to prevent Duterte from scrapping the bidding procedures and nullifying existing contracts of the government.

“We have to be careful with doing away with bidding procedures because those are the safeguards so that the government and the citizens would not be shortchanged,” he said.

Angara said the bidding procedures could be shortened but the element of competitive bidding should be maintained, even though the procurement may be done under emergency circumstances.?He came out with the statement a day after Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, who will likely become the new Senate president, revealed that Duterte may be empowered to review contracts, forgo bidding procedures and order gates in private subdivisions to be opened to traffic.

Clear roads 

Sen. Vicente Sotto III said the solution to easing traffic in Metro Manila would be simple and not require granting Duterte emergency powers by having the political will to enforce rules and regulations to clear roads of all obstructions.

Sotto, who once served as vice mayor of Quezon City, said that the first step in addressing the traffic problem of Metro Manila is to clear the roads of parked vehicles.

“That is how you can decongest the metro. Simple political will is all you need here and you will see an instant effect. It will not take two years,” Sotto said.

The designated transportation and communications secretary, Arthur Tugade, said that it would take about two years to solve the traffic problem in Metro Manila.

Sotto said that he is willing to conduct a hearing for the incoming officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to show them how to go about addressing the problem. – With Marvin Sy