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‘LET EDSA ROT’

Duterte blames ‘atribida lady’ for gov’t failure to address EDSA traffic


President Rodrigo Duterte said that he abandoned a proposal to give him emergency powers to address EDSA traffic due to a woman in public service who supposedly thinks that all elected and government officials are corrupt.

“When the administration...si [Transportation Secretary Arthur] Tugade, sabi, 'We need to borrow for EDSA, because we need money to move just one stall there.' Ang hinihingi nila emergency powers. But here comes a lady, atribida ang tawag ko diyan,” Duterte said at the inauguration of the 7.5-MWP Tumingad Solar Power Project in Odiongan, Tablas Island, Romblon on Wednesday.

“It’s good to be honest, it’s good to be a crusading public officer. No doubt about it, you will be appreciated. But kung sumobra ka and you think all elected and government officials are corrupt, oh well then,” he said.

“Sabi ko kung ganun ang pag-iisip n’yo, ‘wag na. Let EDSA rot there,” he said.

The President did not name the woman official but said that he will be more frank when his term ends.

“And at the end of day when I get out, I will have the freedom to be more frank and brutal with my language,” he said.

It was Senator Grace Poe who chaired the public services committee in the 17th Congress which conducted hearings on the proposed emergency powers for the President.

She earlier said that the senators wanted to approve the proposal but that the Department of Transportation must first submit a specific list of projects as well as a traffic management plan to counter the effects of numerous infrastructure projects in relation to the worsening traffic.

“We were all for passing the bill last Congress, if not for the failure of the DOTr to submit to us the list of projects that will be covered by the grant of powers,” said Poe.

“Everything must be well-defined. Hindi puwede ang blanket grant of emergency powers under the Constitution. And of course, we will also need the support of the President to rally his troops in both Houses to support the bill. If the administration wants it, they can certify it as urgent,” she added.

Malacañang did not certify the bill as urgent. — BM, GMA News

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