Salceda pushes for NCR to be governed as a single province

Albay Representative Joey Salceda on Tuesday pushed for the enactment of a law that would enable the National Capital Region (NCR) to be governed as a single province, in order to manage common development policy for capital.

Salceda said that this idea is similar to the Metro Manila Commission established by late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and first headed by former first lady Imelda Marcos.

He added that Metro Manila is “too big, too populous, and too important to have disunited transport, urban development, planning, crisis response, and economic convergence policies.”

“The result of disunited policy and planning for the NCR is that you have 17 different kingdoms with disjointed traffic, disaster management, and urban development efforts. Whether we admit it or not, whether we like it or not, much of the country’s commerce passes through NCR. So, when NCR doesn’t get its policy right, everybody else also suffers,” Salceda said in a statement.

The House Ways and Means chair also used as an example the ban on the provincial buses in EDSA, adding that both Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Department of Transportation are “denying they did it.”

“Provincianos suffered the most from the confusion. So, let’s just set it as, the NCR Commission or Province is in charge of all roads in NCR that are not municipal or city roads. And let’s make the NCR governor an elected official so that they are more responsive to the needs of the people,” Salceda said.

Many terminals in EDSA-Cubao areas have already adjusted their provincial trips in line with the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. window hours last April 20.

“Disaster response is also frequently a problem in NCR. During disasters, you want maximum coordination, and that’s very difficult to do without someone who’s accountable for the coordination,” the Albay representative said.

“As a former governor known for disaster response, I can attest to the wide latitude of disaster response capabilities that are not accessible to the NCR because it does not have a governor,” Salceda added.

Salceda also said that he also wants to revisit the central plan prepared by the former Marcos governorship of Metro Manila, saying that to see what can be done for “better distribution of national development to the provinces.”

“All in all, I think governing NCR as one political entity, as opposed to just an administrative division, will help both NCR residents and provinces like those in Bicol, which, for better or worse, depend on an efficiently governed NCR for much of its trade, commerce, and transportation,” he added. — BM, GMA News