Tugade begs for emergency powers: It’s not absolute, perpetual

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. PHOTO FROM POE’S OFFICE

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade pleaded with senators on Wednesday to grant President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to address the traffic mess in the country, saying they have nothing to be afraid of because the additional authority would not be “absolute” and “perpetual.”

Tugade said the government needs additional powers to be able to address the many obstacles confronting it to address the traffic problem.

“Hindi lang ho iisang balakid. Kaya ho napakalaking problema ito kasi ‘yung balakid para matuganan ang pangangailangan ng trapiko at tranportasyon ay napakarami. Sa sobrang dami ho kaya ho ako’y lumalapit sa inyo ngayon, nagsusumamo na kailangan bigyan nyo kami ng emergency power,” Tugade said during the hearing of the Senate committee on public services chaired by Senator Grace Poe.

(It’s not just one obstacle. This is a very big problem because the obstacles in answering the needs of traffic and transportation are very many. It’s so many that I’m coming to you right now to plead with you to give us emergency power.)

“Hindi ho kaya ng isang tao ang problema dito, sobrang dami ho (One person alone cannot solve the problems because there are so many),” he said when asked by Senator Manny Pacquiao what was the biggest stumbling block that prevents the agency from solving the traffic.

Tugade pointed out the problems with people, policies, infrastructures, biddings, among other things.

“Naku napakarami ho. Hindi pwedeng sabihin ko na isa lang ang balakid (It’s so plenty. I can’t say that there’s just one obstacle). I might be guilty of over-simplifying things. This is one issue, the traffic issue which cannot be over-simplified…” he said.

Tugade assured that the special or emergency power being sought for the President would not be “absolute” and “perpetual.”

READ: Duterte emergency power won’t come without conditions—Poe

“Huwag ho kayong matakot sa special power or emergency power. Ito ho ay hindi absolute. Sinabi ko na kanina, at sasabihin ko ulit (Don’t be afraid of the special power or emergency power. This is not absolute. I said this before, and I’ll say it again). We will be FOI-compliant, we will be transparent and accountable and we will be time-bound,” he said in his closing remarks.

“Isipin ho natin na ‘yung special power ay hindi ho perpetual (Let’s understand that this special power is not perpetual). It’s for a given time, maybe two, three years but it will be time-bound.”

Tugade said the emergency powers would not also be arbitrary, capricious or whimsical as there will be safeguards in the law.

Congress, he said, also has an oversight authority and it can run to the Supreme Court for redress should there be abuses in the emergency powers.

“Huwag ho kayong mabahala sa salitang ‘emergency power.’ Ito ho ay kailangan natin (Don’t worry about the term ‘emergency power.’ We need this). DOT has a lot of things to do in a very short time. Give us the special power, we will try to do what can be done within the time set,” Tugade said. JE

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