House committee to tackle bills on new railway, land transport agencies

Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento (Photo from his Facebook account)

The transportation committee of the House of Representatives set its legislative agenda for the second regular session of the 17th Congress to include the creation of two new government agencies for railway and land transportation.

During its hearing, when the committee reported its achievements in the first regular session on Wednesday, committee chairperson Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento laid down the panel’s legislative agenda for the second regular session.

Sarmiento said the committee’s priority bills include the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) amendment law, the airport development bill, the National Transportation Board bill, and sustainable transportation bill.

The CAAP amendment law aims to revise Republic Act 8487 that created the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, which is mandated to implement policies on civil aviation on ensuring safe, economical, and efficient air travel.

In line with the CAAP amendment law, the airport development bill would push for the development of airports in the country, particularly the Clark International Airport.

The National Transportation Board bill seeks to create an independent agency to investigate aviation and surface transportation disasters.

Sarmiento said that the committee would also prioritize bills creating the Land Transportation Authority and the Philippine Railways Authority, two new government agencies mentioned by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez in his opening speech when Congress resumed Monday.

Alvarez earlier proposed merging the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) into a single Land Transportation Authority.

The Speaker also called on Congress to create a new body, the Philippine Railways Authority, to “set uniform standards and fares for all railways operating here in the Philippines,” as well as to create the Philippine Airports Authority to supervise the country’s airports.

READ: Alvarez pushes for legislative franchises, gov’t reorganization

Citing the President‘s call in his State of the Nation Address last Monday, Sarmiento said the Department of Transportation should fulfill its mandate to address transportation and traffic issues.

“As the overall planning, programming, and coordinating entity, we expect the Department of Transportation to exercise leadership to resolve all of these low-lying fruits in due time and to craft easily-implementable programs that will have immediate effect for the public,” Sarmiento said.

In his Sona, Duterte instructed the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the local government units in Metro Cebu and in Metro Manila to ensure the “free flow of traffic.”

“I am directing the MMDA and the LGUs of Metro Manila, as well as the LGUs of Metro Cebu and all our regional centers to ensure the free flow of traffic, and immediately clear our roads and thoroughfares of all unnecessary obstruction, including vehicles parked on the streets and barriers,” Duterte said. –With a report from Airei Kim Guanga, Inquirer.net intern /atm

READ: TRANSCRIPT: Duterte’s 2nd State of the Nation Address