House will no longer push for Duterte emergency powers — Cayetano

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives will no longer push for the grant of emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte to solve Metro Manila’s traffic crisis, Speaker Alan Cayetano said Monday.

“Not anymore, because the President said he doesn’t want it anymore or we cannot attack a crisis with emergency powers when you’re in the middle of it already,” Cayetano said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Headstart” when asked if the chamber would still prioritize the measure.

Instead, the House will focus on measures improving the country’s mass transportation system. Cayetano also said they would help executive departments ensure that right-of-way issues in infrastructure and transportation programs are resolved swiftly through their oversight function.

“What we’re saying, siguro makikita ng iba sa Senate so far hearings nila sa traffic and transportation, panay problema. Alam na natin ang problema so sa House we’ll try to tackle and focus on the solutions and how we can help,” the Taguig-Pateros representative added.

Bills granting emergency powers to Duterte had been filed in the 17th Congress but failed to prosper in the Senate amid questions on its effectivity to address the national capital’s traffic gridlock.

In the current 18th Congress, at least three bills granting emergency powers to Duterte have been filed in the House while Sen. Francis Tolentino filed the same in the upper chamber. /je

READ: Duterte admits failure to solve Edsa traffic