LABING-apat na senador ang pumirma na sa committee report sa bill na nagsusulong na bigyan ng emergency power si Pangulong Duterte para bigyang solusyon ang krisis sa trapiko sa bansa.
Ang 14 senador na pumirma ay sina:
- Senator Grace Poe
- Senator Loren Legarda
- Senator Franklin Drilon
- Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan
- Senator Panfilo Lacson
- Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV
- Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri
- Senator Richard Gordon
- Senator Joel Villanueva
- Senator Nancy Binay
- Senator Sherwin Gatchalian
- Senator Gregorio Honasan
- Senator Antonio Trillanes IV
- Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, ex-officio member
Si Poe ang siya chair ng Senate committee on public services, ang panel na siyang nag-lead para talakayin ang panukala, kasama ang committe on finance na pinangungunahan naman ni Legarda, at committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes na pinamumunuan naman ni Drilon.
Sa kanyang sponsorhip speech, inilarawan ni Poe ang problema sa trapiko ay hindi lang “sakit” ng Metro Manila kundi isang “virus engulfing the nation.”
“A long train of bad ideas, bankrupt programs, botched projects, and lack of meaningful foresight has made it an accident waiting to happen—the perfect train wreck upon which the well-being and welfare of the Filipino people is fighting for survival. It is now time to untangle the mess, one that is so grave and great that it needs emergency powers to straighten it out,” pahayag pa nito.
“What is disappointing, Mr. President, is it appears that the burden to solve the traffic crisis is now on us. Bigla na lang idinadahilan ng ibang mga taga executive department na hindi sila makakilos ng mabilis dahil wala silang emergency powers. Many solutions do not require legislation. In fact, the laws are there, the plans are there, if only they are implemented. Hindi lahat ng solusyon nangangailangan ng semento. Kadalasan, sentido-kumon lang ang kulang.”
“To them, I say, ‘Get off your office chairs, and act NOW.’ You should inspire the people to have confidence in you, and that will only happen if your actions will spur results,” hirit pa ni Poe.
Paliwanag pa ng senador nagdesisyon ang tatlong komite na bigyan ng emergency power si Duterte “because losing P3 billion a day due to traffic is alarming enough to constitute a crisis.”
Sa pagtataya ng Japan International Cooperation Agency, sa 2030, inaasahan na ang losses ay maaaring umabot sa P6 bilyon kada araw.
“Congress needs to declare a national emergency with regard to traffic congestion, because traffic from highly urbanized areas is now spilling over to nearby localities and causing businesses and people to lose money and opportunities,” ayon pa sa mambabatas.