Poe seeks review of contracts under traffic powers bill

Senator Grace Poe. PHOTO FROM SEN. GRACE POE’S OFFICE

Senator Grace Poe now wants all contracts under the proposed emergency powers for traffic to pass a congressional review first before they are approved.

Poe said this power of the congressional oversight committee to review the contracts should be included in a bill that seeks to grant President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to address the traffic crisis in the country.

She noted that Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade himself has said that the oversight committee would not only have the power to review but also to inspect contracts before they are consummated.

“I respectfully submit that we add in the bill that all contracts should be submitted to the committee for review before they are approved,” Poe said during the hearing of the Senate committee on public services, which she chairs, on Wednesday.

“If, within a certain number of days, let us say, two weeks, the committee fails to approve or disapprove a project, then the project shall be deemed approved,” she said.

Poe said the committee has already started drafting a partial report on the bill,which she expects to be approved by the Senate before the year ends.

READ: Poe panel starts drafting report on traffic powers bill

But she decided to hold its fourth and last hearing on Wednesday to get more details on the emergency powers being sought for the President.

“For example is the P219 billion subway project that will only cover 14 kilometers. That amount is already one-fourth of your Php 1.5 trillion wish list. Please explain to us, how this will ease traffic and where at least those areas will be,” she said in her opening statement.

“When it comes to spending taxpayers money, the rule is that the bigger the expenditure the rigorous the scrutiny must be. If the emergency powers bill is not the magic wand that will make all our problems go away, it is also not a magic password that should allow thieves to just come in and have their day,” said the senator.

Poe said the Department of Transportation should focus on projects that will immediately solve traffic.

“Baka kasi sobrang dami ng gusto ninyong gawin tapos marami sa mga proyektong iyun ay hindi naman talaga makakatulong sa problema. Meron din problema sa C6, ano bang plano? Parang di naman nabanggit,” she said.

(Perhaps you have many plans but a lot of these projects won’t really help in solving the problem. There is also a problem along C6, what is your plan? It seems like you didn’t mention it.)  -Maila Ager, RAM