MANILA, Philippines – Several senatorial bets want to give President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to solve the perennial traffic problem.

A total of 11 senatorial bets were asked during ABS-CBN’s “Harapan 2019” forum on Sunday, March 3, how they plan to address the longstanding issue of traffic in major cities. 

At least 3 of the candidates said they want to provide emergency powers to Duterte, who had previously asked Congress to grant him emergency powers to solve traffic.

In December 2018, the House of Representatives already approved a bill seeking to grant emergency powers to the Department of Transportation chief, not to the President.

The Senate version of the measure, which remains pending for 2nd reading at the plenary, would grant the emergency powers to a traffic crisis manager to be appointed by the President.

This is how the 11 Senate hopefuls – most of whom are from the Labor Party Philippines, the Filipino Family Party, or are running as independents – plan to address the traffic problem:

Gerald Arcega

“Ako po ay isang commuter din. Simula po no’ng college nagko-commute ako from Laguna to San Beda College. At ngayon po, madalas akong sumasakay ng MRT. Alam ‘nyo, ang problema sa atin, ang problema sa Department of Transportation…napakadaming korap diyan sa ahensiya na ‘yan. At naapektuhan ang ating mga commuter…. Talagang tututukan natin at isasabatas natin kung ano ang kahilingan ng mga commuter lalong-lalo na sa MRT.”

(I’m a commuter too. Back in college, I would commute from Laguna to San Beda College. And now, I often ride the MRT. You know, the problem here is, the problem with the Department of Transportation…there are so many corrupt officials in that agency. And our commuters are affected…. I will really focus on this issue and create laws to address the needs of commuters, especially with the MRT.)

Marcelino Arias

“Dagdagan po natin ang mga skyway sa EDSA para mabawasan ang paghihirap no’ng mga mahihirap na manggagawa…. ‘Yan po ang aking isusulong kung saka-sakaling iboboto ‘nyo ako.”

(Let’s add flyovers along EDSA to lessen the burden on our poor workers…. That’s what I’ll push for if you vote for me.)

Jonathan Baldevarona

“‘Yan ‘yung lack of foresight ng ating mga mambabatas before kaya nagkaganyan-ganyan tayo. So sa ngayon, ang immediate solution natin sa problema na ‘yan ay dapat lang ipaliban ang mga bidding-bidding na ‘yan para immediately, mapalitan natin ang mga coaches ng mga train na tumatakbo diyan sa EDSA…. Ang future plans ng Build, Build, Build ay suportahan po natin para mapabilis po ang pag-decongest ng ating mga kalsada.

(The situation became like this due to the lack of foresight of our lawmakers before. So now, the immediate solution to that problem is to temporarily set aside biddings so immediately, we can replace the train coaches running along EDSA…. We should support the future plans under Build, Build, Build so we can speed up the decongestion of our roads.)

Jesus Caceres

“Higpitan natin ‘yung mga private cars na masyadong nandiyan kasi pakalat-kalat, napakarami…. At isa pa, sa Puno draft constitution, mag-create tayo ng maraming trabaho sa mga region upang ‘yung mga dayuhang mga Bisaya o Bicol o ‘yung mga kababayan nating nandito – 15 million na ang kababayan nating nasa Metro Manila – [ay magkaroon ng trabaho].”

(We should be stricter with the purchase of private cars because there are already too many of them. And one more thing, in the Puno draft constitution, we should create many jobs in the regions so that the Visayans and Bicolanos or our countrymen who go to Manila – we already have 15 million people here in Metro Manila – would have jobs.)

“At higpitan natin ang ating mga traffic enforcer. Bantayan nila ang mga sasakyan, lalong-lalo na ang mga ilegal na kolorum…. Sa ating MRT po, dagdagan pa ng bagon at lalo pang paigtingin, pagandahin, at gawing high-tech.”

(Our traffic enforcers should be stricter. They should closely watch motorists, especially illegal public utility vehicles…. As for the MRT, add more coaches and improve the railway system, make it high-tech.)

Melchor Chavez

“Ang kailangan natin ng isang magandang batas diyan ay i-phase out ang 12 anyos na sasakyan pataas. Dapat mabawasan na dito sa Metro Manila at tsaka sa Cebu, Metro Davao. Kailangan na hong mabawasan ‘yan, 12 at tsaka pataas na mga sasakyan ay dapat mape-phase out at bilhin ng ating pamahalaan.”

(We need a law phasing out vehicles 12 years and older. We should reduce the number of vehicles here in Metro Manila and in Cebu, Metro Davao. We should reduce vehicles 12 years and older, phase them out and have the government buy them.)

Charlie Gaddi

“Dalawa ang solusyon na nakikita ko: isang political solution at tsaka dagdag na imprastruktura. Doon sa political solution, ang kailangan na po sigurong ipatupad ang federal government…. Lahat po ng federated region, mula po sa Mindanao, [Region] I, II, III, hanggang 18th region, ‘yan po ay ‘di na po magko-concentrate ‘yung ating mga negosyo o kumpanya o manufacturer dito sa Metro Manila. ‘Yan po ay kakalat na sa lahat ng region kung kaya ‘di na po magkakaroon ng trapiko.”

(I see two solutions: a political solution and additional infrastructure. For the political solution, we need to have a federal government. In all federated regions, from Mindanao, Region I, II, III, to the 18th region, businesses or companies or manufacturers won’t just focus on Metro Manila. They would expand to all regions so there will no longer be traffic in Metro Manila.)

Emily Mallillin

“Siguro ang aking [gustong] ibato sa mamamayang Pilipino o bawat Pilipino ang inyong katanungan sa amin ngayong hapon. Kasi kung kayo ay bibigyan ‘nyo kami ng pagkakataon, kaming lahat dito na mga baguhan na nakaupo, bibigyan ‘nyo kami ng upuan sa Senado, siguro naman ‘yang napakatagal na sitwasyon na ‘yan na problema na hindi masolu-solusyan ng napakarami na pong umupo, baka sakali po…lahat ay amin pong masolusyunan ang problemang ‘yan.”

(I would like to respond in the form of a question addressed to all Filipinos. Because if you give us newbies seated here a chance to serve in the Senate, maybe that longstanding problem that many officials have failed to solve, maybe…we would be able to solve that problem.)

Sonny Matula

“Ang isang solusyon diyan ay dapat i-nationalize na natin ang ating minimum wage…. So kung pantay-pantay ang sahod, ‘yung ating mga manggagawa ay hindi dito sa Metro Manila pupunta.”

(One solution to that is to nationalize our minimum wage…. So if the minimum wage is the same in each region, our workers don’t have to go here to Metro Manila.)

“Direkta doon sa tanong tungkol sa LRT, kinakailangang bigyan natin ng emergency power ng Presidente para bumili ng mga bagong mga bagon. Kasi sa oras ng rush hour, ay talagang sardinas. Isa ako sa mga kliyente ng LRT na sumasakay diyan. Kaya dapat bigyan ang Presidente ng kapangyarihan na mai-exempt sa mga bidding niyan.” 

(Specifically for the LRT, we should give the President emergency powers to buy new train coaches. During rush hour, people are packed like sardines. I’m one of the LRT commuters. So we should give the President the power to exempt the procurement of train coaches from biddings.)

“Puwede ba ang ating Malacañang o ang ating central government, ilagay natin sa Clark?… ‘Yung mga eskuwelahan, dapat nasa labas ng Metro Manila.”

(Can Malacañang or the central government be in Clark?… Some schools should be outside Metro Manila.)

Luther Meniano

“Ang atin pong isusulong ay, unang-una, rehabilitation ng ating MRT at LRT dahil napakaganda ang chassis pero bulok naman ang makina…. Kailangan nating i-aircondition ang mga station ng tren. Dahil mahirap po [na] ang ating mga mararalita na sumasakay ng tren ay pinapawisan…nahihika na po.”

(I will push for, first, the rehabilitation of the MRT and LRT because the chassis may be good but the engine is dilapidated…. We need to have our train stations airconditioned. It’s hard for commuters to travel when it’s hot…they’re prone to asthma.)

“And No. 2 is good maintenance. Kailangan may pondo po ang gobyerno, ang LTO, ang Land Transportation [Office] para ma-rehabilitate ito at may maintenance na palaging maganda ang makina…. Pangatlo po, itong EDSA. We have P18 billion na nawawala taon-taon. Kaya kailangan po may infrastructure projects na dapat nating ilagay sa mga terminals ng bus.” 

(And No. 2 is good maintenance. The government should have funds, the LTO, the Land Transportation [Office], to rehabilitate trains and maintain the engines in top condition…. Third, EDSA. We lose P18 billion each year. So we need infrastructure projects which we should position near bus terminals.)

Allan Montaño

“Sa traffic na ‘yan, ayon sa Japan International Cooperation Agency, nawawalan tayo ng P3.2 billion a day…. Simple lang tingin ko ang solusyon diyan: It’s through the exercise of the state of its police power. Magpasa tayo ng batas na lahat ng private cars, between 5:30 in the morning hanggang 8:30 in the morning – gano’n din sa hapon – ipagbawal ‘yung private cars diyan [sa EDSA]. Hayaan ang mga bus ang dumaloy diyan so that pang-15 minutes to 20 minutes, ‘yung mga manggagawa natin, from Monumento ay nandoon na sa Ayala. Mase-save natin ‘yung P3.2 billion.”

(According to the Japan International Cooperation Agency, we lose P3.2 billion a day to traffic…. I think the solution to that is simple: It’s through the exercise of the state of its police power. We should pass a law banning private cars from EDSA between 5:30 and 8:30 in the morning – also in the afternoon. Only buses should be able to pass so that our workers could travel from Monumento to Ayala in just 15 to 20 minutes. We would save the P3.2 billion.)

“‘Yung sa MRT, dagdagan natin ‘yung mga bagon, right? ‘Yung mga binili nilang mga bagon na ‘di fitted, dapat through the oversight function ng Senado, imbestigahan at ipakulong kung sino man ang dapat ipakulong diyan.”

(As for the MRT, we should add train coaches, right? The coaches that were bought but ended up being unsuitable, through the Senate’s oversight function, it should investigate whoever should be jailed for that fiasco.)

Shariff Albani

“Ang problema natin dito kaunting disiplina, lalong-lalo na sa mga driver natin. Meron naman tayong nakikita dito, ‘yung tinatawag na loading and unloading. Sa ibang bansa, kung nakikita mo, mayroon silang loading tsaka unloading. Dito, lahat walang place ng loading tsaka unloading.”

(Our problem is the lack of discipline, especially of our drivers. For instance, we’re supposed to have loading and unloading areas. In other countries, you see them following loading and unloading instructions. Here, loading and unloading happen anywhere.)

“Sana magkaroon tayo ng tinatawag na subway. At tsaka ‘yung train natin, kailangan dagdagan pa natin. Pang-apat, itong tinatawag natin na mahal na President, bigyan natin ng special power…. Siya lamang ang nakikita natin magkakaroon ng kalutasan dito sa ating bansa, lalong-lalo na ang transportation.”

(I hope we will also have a subway. And we need to add more trains. Fourth, we need to give our President special powers…. He’s the only one I see who can address the transportation problem in the country.)

– Rappler.com