The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Luis Leoncio
The Senate is proposing the establishment of an “urban traffic management authority,” the sole function of which would be to streamline the management of traffic in urban areas.
The proposal is contained in a bill filed by Senate President Franklin M. Drilon last Friday granting President Duterte emergency powers to address the traffic crisis in Metro Manila and in other major urban areas of the country. “The emergency power being sought for President Duterte will capacitate him in addressing the horrendous traffic situation within and outside Metro Manila,” Drilon said.
“The emergency power is already a ‘necessity,’ given the magnitude of the transportation crisis that not only impedes the mobility of people, goods and services, but also threatens the livability of our cities.”
Under Senate Bill 11, or the “Transportation Crisis Act of 2016,” the President would be authorized to adopt alternative methods of procurement for the construction, the repair, the rehabilitation, the improvement or the maintenance of transportation projects aimed at reducing traffic congestion in Metro Manila and other urban areas.
These powers include limited source bidding, direct contracting, repeat order, shopping, and negotiated procurement.
Drilon believes that traffic management problems are caused by the poor enforcement of traffic rules and the overlapping functions of government agencies like the Department of Transportation and its attached agencies – the Land Transportation and Fare Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and local government units (LGUs).
To address this, Drilon said the MMDA and the Department of Transportation should be the sole urban traffic management authority in Metro Manila and other urban areas, respectively. This includes MMDA and the transportation department absorbing some functions currently being performed by the LTFRB, LTO and LGUs.
One of the last acts of President Aquino was to sign a law separating from the Department of Transportation the Department of Communication (they both used to make up the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), and attaching it to a new agency now called the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The emergency-powers bill would likewise allow the President to reorganize the Department of Transportation and its attached agencies, LTFRB and LTO, and the MMDA.
The bill, which would remain in effect for two years, seeks to get the necessary funds for its operation from the proceeds from the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge Fund, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and the current budgets of the agencies involved.
Drilon said traffic congestion was causing productivity loss of around P2.4 billion a day or more than P800 billion a year. “If the traffic congestion continues unabated, the cost is expected to increase to P6 billion a day,” Drilon said, citing a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) in 2014.
He noted that aside from the cities in Metro Manila, various urban areas such as Metro Cebu and Cagayan De Oro are also experiencing horrible traffic congestions that hamper growth and development.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said it’s not just economics, but also family relations and the quality of life that are being severely affected by the traffic-congestion crisis.
”Children are waiting for their parents after work. But they are stuck in traffic instead of being with their family. Our quality of life has drastically changed from bad to worse. That has to be addressed,” he said.
Tugade said among the reasons for the heavy traffic congestion in most metropolises are the restraining orders, injunctions, right-of-way issues, and regulations of the local governments in these urban centers. Making things worse is the lack of discipline among motorists and pedestrians.
The problem with undisciplined pedestrians is compounded by road and sidewalk obstructions like vendors and illegal terminals.
Tugade assured the public that people who would be affected by the stringent implementation of traffic rules and of the possible emergency powers on traffic issues would be provided with relocation areas.
He cited Duterte’s earlier pronouncement that he does not want people who will be disadvantaged by his economic programs to suffer, so they would be provided with means to uplift their lives.
Also part of the plan is the opening of subdivision roads to the public to help ease traffic congestion. But Tugade said the opening of subdivision roads would be studied thoroughly and that affected subdivisions would be compensated reasonably.