Tugade on traffic emergency powers: 'Kung ayaw nila ibigay, huwag na'

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Friday said they would not press Congress to approve their proposal to grant emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte to solve Metro Manila's traffic problem.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, Tugade said time is running out since Duterte is now halfway into his six-year term.

"Kung ayaw nila ibigay, huwag na, kasi paiksi nang paiksi ang oras," Tugade said, pointing out that they've been asking Congress to grant the emergency powers since the first year of Duterte's term.

"Noon pa namin hinihingi yan, sa umpisa ng termino ng ating Pangulo. Ngayon, 1,021 days na lang ang termino ng ating Pangulo. Kung ayaw nilang ibigay, sa kanila na yan," he said.

Tugade has locked horns with Senator Grace Poe, who, as chair of the Senate Committee on Public Service, said emergency power is not needed to solve the traffic problem.

Poe, during media interviews, said the Department of Transportation has yet to present a masterplan on how it intends to address the traffic problem.

Tugade denied Poe's claim, saying they were not given the chance to present their plan during a recent hearing at the Senate.

"Nung nag-hearing kami, hindi kami binigyan ng pagkakataon na ilahad o i-amplify yung aming mga plano," he said.

Tugade also accused Poe of using the emergency powers issue for politics, saying she may be planning to run for president again in 2022. —KBK, GMA News