MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Sonny Belmonte is in favor of giving incoming President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to resolve the traffic snarl in the country.
The emergency powers will quicken the release of government funds aimed at declogging main roads that have hurt businesses and the overall economy.
Transportation secretary Arthur Tugade, speaking on the sidelines of a business conference, cited the 2.4 billion pesos in potential daily income lost due to the traffic problem based on a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Belmonte said, they just need to clarify what kind of emergency powers would be given to Duterte.
“Traffic congestion is a real problem and it has many causes; let’s give him the emergency powers but let us be very specific to what the powers consists of,” Belmonte said. (Eagle News)