Veteran lawyer and former Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chief Francis Tolentino took a swipe at Senate Senate Public Services committee chair Grace Poe for supposedly "sitting on" the proposal to grant emergency powers to Pres. Rody Duterte to solve the burgeoning traffic problems in Metro Manila.
In an interview with Senate bet Francis Tolentino with CNN Philippines' The Source on Thursday he stated that Sen. Grace Poe must have misunderstood the proposal.
"Some persons equated emergency powers with bidding procedures, procurement, abuse of power. Baka mali lang 'yung intindi nila sa nomenclature [Maybe they misinterpreted the nomenclature.] It's not that," he said.
He added that Poe's committee only focused on infrastructure and technicalities but failed to gauge the opinion of stakeholders on the proposal to change office hours, among the things which he said could be done through Duterte's emergency powers.
Despite the pronouncement made by the ally of the President, Tolentino said he is not taking it against Sen. Poe, saying that she must have just been advised by her lawyers about the proposal on emergency powers and was just doing her job.
The former MMDA chief said had Duterte been granted emergency powers, he would have been able to enact sweeping changes which could have eased traffic congestion.
He said these include overriding conflicting city ordinances and contracts of bus terminals along main thoroughfare EDSA, moving office hours and school hours at different times to lessen people on the road, fixing salaries for bus drivers, and relocating houses along the Philippine National Railway line.
The problem with Sen. Grace Poe is the fact that her committee did not sit on the proposal. Her panel began hearings on the measure in August 2016 and submitted it for consideration in plenary just four months after.
The emergency power bill is currently pending on second reading in the Senate, while the House has passed its own version of the measure last December.
Pres. Duterte then decided to give up on the proposal as some people were raising concerns about the possibility of corruption should be granted emergency powers.
"Ayaw ko narinig ko sa kanya na, 'Alam mo malaking pera ito. Ibibigay namin pero I am afraid of corruption, baka nakawin ganun, ganun,' Eh 'di noong narinig ko sabi ko, 'Wag na lang.' Kung ganun lang naman ang duda ninyo sa akin, baka talaga akala ninyo magnanakaw ako, huwag na lang," Pres. Duterte said.
Source: Facebook
In an interview with Senate bet Francis Tolentino with CNN Philippines' The Source on Thursday he stated that Sen. Grace Poe must have misunderstood the proposal.
"Some persons equated emergency powers with bidding procedures, procurement, abuse of power. Baka mali lang 'yung intindi nila sa nomenclature [Maybe they misinterpreted the nomenclature.] It's not that," he said.
He added that Poe's committee only focused on infrastructure and technicalities but failed to gauge the opinion of stakeholders on the proposal to change office hours, among the things which he said could be done through Duterte's emergency powers.
Despite the pronouncement made by the ally of the President, Tolentino said he is not taking it against Sen. Poe, saying that she must have just been advised by her lawyers about the proposal on emergency powers and was just doing her job.
The former MMDA chief said had Duterte been granted emergency powers, he would have been able to enact sweeping changes which could have eased traffic congestion.
He said these include overriding conflicting city ordinances and contracts of bus terminals along main thoroughfare EDSA, moving office hours and school hours at different times to lessen people on the road, fixing salaries for bus drivers, and relocating houses along the Philippine National Railway line.
The problem with Sen. Grace Poe is the fact that her committee did not sit on the proposal. Her panel began hearings on the measure in August 2016 and submitted it for consideration in plenary just four months after.
The emergency power bill is currently pending on second reading in the Senate, while the House has passed its own version of the measure last December.
Pres. Duterte then decided to give up on the proposal as some people were raising concerns about the possibility of corruption should be granted emergency powers.
"Ayaw ko narinig ko sa kanya na, 'Alam mo malaking pera ito. Ibibigay namin pero I am afraid of corruption, baka nakawin ganun, ganun,' Eh 'di noong narinig ko sabi ko, 'Wag na lang.' Kung ganun lang naman ang duda ninyo sa akin, baka talaga akala ninyo magnanakaw ako, huwag na lang," Pres. Duterte said.
Source: Facebook
Senate Bet Francis Tolentino Sen. Poe's "Sitting On" Emergency Powers for Pres. Duterte
Reviewed by Phil Newsome
on
March 08, 2019
Rating:
Reviewed by Phil Newsome
on
March 08, 2019
Rating:
