Excerpt from the Senate hearing last October 12, 2016 on the proposed emergency powers for President Rodrigo Duterte to address the traffic problem in the Philippines. Senator Ralph Recto questions the Section 3 & 8 of the DOTr’s proposed bill, titled “Traffic and Congestion Crisis Act”:

SEN. RECTO: Sa Section 3, Declaration of Policy, it would appear that what you want is emergency powers for the entire country. Land, sea and air, geographically, for the entire country. Is that the intention of the DOTr? Is that what you are actually requesting for?

USEC. CREENCIA: Your honor, the grant of emergency power for the DOTr is to address not just the congestion in Metro Manila, but also in other urban areas such as Cebu and Davao. SEN. RECTO: So sa madaling salita, buong Pilipinas.

USEC. CREENCIA: Yes, your honor. Those that are experiencing and on the verge of experiencing traffic problems.

SEN. RECTO: Section 8: Appointment of a Traffic Crisis Manager. Kung ang scope na sinasabi ninyo na buong Pilipinas, Traffic Crisis Manager na rin kayo ng buong Pilipinas, hindi lang ng Metro Manila.

USEC. CREENCIA: Potentially po. It depends–

SEN. RECTO: Iyon ang hinihingi ninyo.

USEC. CREENCIA: It depends on the setup that will be adopted in the other urban areas. If the I-ACT setup for Metro Manila will be adopted, will be the model for Cebu and Davao, for example, then that would be the case, your honor.

SEN. RECTO: That is the point I am trying to drive at, ah. Once you say “buong Pilipinas” under this bill, lahat pakikialaman ninyo as Traffic Crisis Manager.

USEC. CREENCIA: We will pinpoint areas, your honor.

SEN. RECTO: So you have not pinpointed them today. ‘Yun ang sinasabi ko eh. Mawawala ang focus. Ang pinakamalaking problema ngayon, would only be, I suppose, in Metro Manila, maybe Cebu and Davao. So why not focus just on the three? Why do you want 1,500 municipalities, 80 provinces, 105 cities? Magiging kalat-kalat kayo diyan, kung saka-sakali. Ang sinasabi ninyo, in effect, Traffic Crisis Manager kayo ng buong Pilipinas, kukunin ninyo ‘yung kapangyarihan ng lahat ng local government unit.