Senate to continue debates on emergency powers bill

MANILA, Philippines - The proposed emergency powers to solve the traffic problem in urban centers is still on the table at the Senate and would be taken up once Congress resumes session on July 24.

Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services, said she intends to continue the plenary debates on the emergency powers bill, which she sponsored in December last year.

With no end in sight for the traffic woes of residents of Metro Manila and other major urban areas of the country, Poe said she would push for the approval of Senate Bill 1284 or the proposed traffic and congestion crisis act, before the end of the year.

Once passed, Poe said the emergency powers bill would allow concerned government agencies to use alternative methods of procurement for faster implementation of transportation projects. 

Poe said she is hopeful that the bill remains a priority of the Senate, but said it would take some time to pass because several senators still have questions about the measure.

While acknowledging that the passage of the bill is urgent, Poe said she intends to make sure it would be compliant to freedom of information (FOI), fiscally responsible and adhering to deadlines.

Poe said she would also push for the early passage of the FOI bill, which she also sponsored in the previous Congress.

The Senate, in the 16th Congress, approved the FOI bill but the House of Representatives failed to pass the measure.

Poe said the committee on public information and mass media, which she heads, will schedule the FOI for plenary debates as soon as possible.

She noted that the Philippine Business Groups-Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines has included the emergency powers bill and FOI bill in their 12 priority wish list for Congress in order to improve the business and economic climate in the country.

Poe said she would also endorse the creation of a National Transportation Safety Board that will conduct independent investigations on transport-related accidents on land, air, maritime and rail in order to solve the current incoherent setup of several agencies investigating different transport incidents.