Poe: Why prioritize death penalty when Pinoys are dying from traffic?

Senator Grace Poe. PHOTO FROM SEN. GRACE POE’S OFFICE

Why prioritize the proposed restoration of the death penalty when some people are already slowly dying in the streets because of traffic?

Senator Grace Poe expressed this sentiment on Thursday as she lamented the seeming lack of interest of some people in government and allies in the House of Representatives to pass a measure that would grant President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to address the traffic problem in the country.

“Ang gobyerno, sinasabi nila na seryoso din sila talaga sa pagresolba nito, subalit nakikita naman natin ang aksyon din ng iba na ang prayoridad nila, syempre iba, ‘di ba nakikita natin na death penalty talaga yung itinutulak doon sa baba,” Poe, chairman of the Senate committee on public services, said in an interview over DZMM.

(The government is saying it is serious in solving the traffic woes but as we could see, some of the members have a different priority, which is the death penalty being pushed in the lower House.)

“Sa tingin ko mahalaga rin namang tutukan rin nila ito sapagkat marami rin namang kinamamatayan na ang tagal ng traffic na binabaybay nila sa ating kalsada (I think it is important that they focus on the solution to the traffic woes because a lot have been dying from the traffic they experience on our roads),” she added.

The senator was apparently referring to some congressmen who are pushing for the immediate passage of a bill that seeks to restore the imposition of capital punishment in the country.

In the Senate, Poe was confident that the chamber would be able to pass the emergency powers bill before its break next month. The chamber has already started its plenary debates on the measure.

READ: Poe hits gov’t’s lack of action plan to ease traffic

“Ang problema, kahit na ipasa natin ito sa agarang panahon, sabihin nating bago mag-Marso, hanggang March 18 lang (ang session) tapos mag-aadjourn na naman. Paano pa ngayon ang bersyon doon sa House (The problem is even if we immediately pass it, let’s say before March because the session is up to March 18 only then it would be adjourned. How about the House version)?” she asked.

“Alam niyo yung sa kanila, wala talagang emergency powers na ibibigay tapos hindi po kasama ang mga airports diyan. Marami po silang tinanggal diyan na hindi kasama, kaya sa tingin ko malaking gulo (In their version, no emergency powers would be granted and the airports were excluded. They have removed a lot from their version so I think there would be disorder)…”

The senator also disclosed the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) request for the Senate to extend the 30-day deadline in the bill for the agency to submit a traffic action plan after the approval of the measure.

In the House version of the bill, she said, the DOTr has 60 days to submit such plan.

“Sabi ko, hindi, kasi ang tagal-tagal na nito, wala ba kayong maisusumite agad? Hindi naman ito written in stone, hindi po ito nakasulat sa bato, titingnan po natin kung ano yung maayos dito na traffic plan. Kaya nga emergency powers ang hinihingi ninyo tapos gusto ninyo mas matagal pa bago ito maaksyunan,” Poe said.

(I said it has been long overdue, why can’t you immediately submit anything? This is not written in stone, we would look at what could be done in the traffic plan. That’s why you’re asking for emergency powers yet it takes you too long before acting on it.) RAM/rga