THE PHILIPPINE STAR
rne iitt tPPtle sren
newS FRIDAY
Panelo: RodY not keen
on replacing Tugade
By cHRISTINA MENDEz
and RICHMOND MERCURIO
President Duterte is keen
on keeping TransPortation
Secretarv Arthur Tugade even
,afrer Seir. Grace Poe said he
needs tobe r€Placed for failing
to deal with'the traffic mess
in Metro Manila, Malacaiang
said vesterdav.
Piesidential sPokesman
Salvador Panelo siid there is
no need for Tugade to resiSn
as he still enjoys the trust of
':'the President.
--,.l'Of course, Mr. Tugade has
.already laid out the table in
&he'sbirate. He is suggesting
that emergencY Powers be
erarrted to the President as he
ireviouslv did," said Panelo
i"h"., ut("d if the Palace still
trusts Tueade to solve the tral-
fic proble-m in the metroPolis.
instead of criticizing Tugade,
Panelo challenged Poe to name
the Derson wiro she thinks
wouid be able to solve the traf-
fic mess.
"Maybe she should giwe us
a name, Senator Grace," P3nelo
said in response to the senator's
' that Tueade be rePlaced.
call
Panelo Fminded ?oe, who
chairs the Senate committee on
public services, that the traffic
broblem would have been ad-
'dressed it Congress gave the
Chief Executive emergency
PoYffi
or".ir"lu thev were
given thebptioru t{ris is o-ur solu-
tion: the President needs emer-
gency powers, Sive it to him
But her rcsponse was lt could
be abused, rcsult in coruPtion,
that's why the President was
aruLoyed"" Panelo said
Nbw that the emergencY
powers are again being dis-
iussed at the Senate, Panelo
said the President maY change
his mind in looking at ways to
handle the traffic Problem.
s pAga
I sEPrEMglR 1l' 2019
'Thinks higlhlY
of herself'
The DeDartment of Trans-
Dortation (DOTr), meanwhile,
hred back at Poe for her re-
marks on Tusade.
Tueade s;id he will not
allow"himself to be used as
"props" by "rnisguided Politi-
cians" as he serves onlv at the
oleasure of the President.
' "She thjnks too highlY of her-
self. Even my position she wants
to meddle with? I serve onlY at
the oleasure of the President.
Not'subiect to the whims, ca-
price and theatrics of misguided
boliticians," Tugade said in
resoonse to Poe's remarks that
he 'should be rePlaced as he is
underperforming.
Pod and Tugade have been
at odds about the granting of
emergency powers to Presi-
dent Duterte to address Metro
Manila's traffic crisis.
Poe believes there arsa lot of
things the DOTi can do under
existing laws to solve the traffic
crisis and speed up imPlementa-
tion of transporta tion Projecs.
Tugade, however, sai{ the
grant of emergency Powers
would aid in the swift resolution
of traffic woes in the cotmtrY'
In an oDen letter to Poe
yesterday, tie DOTr said traffic
management is not Part ot the
agencv's nandate.
" "Uirder the mandate cov-
.ered by the DOT1, it is noi {air to
call the trarsportation seo€tary
as underperforming because
that is noi irue," it said.
"Madam Senator, it is not
Secretary Tugade's habit to
sleep on-the iob. That is why
,the ileDarbneht is implement-
Yng ZilZ construction - and
pa-rtial operability timelines
is because of his intention to
brine immediate Pubtc service
on iiansportatiori to the FiliPi-
nos," the DOTr said
-i /
Open Private
subdivisions
Lawmakers, however, be-
lieve that Duterte definitelY
needs emergencY Powerc to at
least mitigate the long-running
traffic problem in Metro Manila.
ReJ. Precious Hipolito-Cas-
telo ptinted out thit with such
granted bY Cc.rngress
authloriW"aid
(Senate House of RePre-
sentatives), then "traffic rules
will be strictlv enforced and
subdivisions dkeadY donated
to local governments can be
ooened for motorists."
' '"There should be no worries
that emergency Powers will
be abused as all accounting
and auditing rules will still
be subscribed," the congress-
woman said.
Castelo, vice chairPerson
of the House committee on
Metro Manila DeveloPme-nt
said the emergencY Powers t-or
the President is the kev to the
long-term solutions to traffic
woes in the capital.
"We can't iorever relY on
transport network comPanies,
P2P 6uses, ta.r.is or motorcYde
hails companies. We should
aitn for more mass transPort
b{rastructures {hat are efficient
and reliable," Castelo said.
Law and order in the countrY
' will be achieved if the Duterte
administration will be able to
solve the perennial traffic mess
where pittv crimes usuallY
origma6, Rep Nina Taduran of
Dartv-list AC li-Cl5 sard.
' "th" rno." time PeoPle
spend trapped in traffic, the
riore thev are exposed to Petty
criminali who PreY on their
victims like shooting fish in a
barrel," she said.
"The President needs emer-
sencv Dowers to cut through
Xtt ttiii tea tape and jusi get
things done," Taduran added.
"Buildins the necessary
infrastructuie to suPPort the
transportation needs of Metro
Manila's ever increasing PoP-u-
lation is the keY to solving the
eridlock in the iueets," the ad-
i'rinistration Iawmaker added'
- With Delon Porcalla