Negotiated contracts for some P8 trillion worth of big-ticket projects under the proposed “emergency powers package” submitted by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) could launch a “golden age of corruption” instead of the administration’s avowed “golden age of infrastructure,” key opposition congressmen warned yesterday.
Reps. Tomasino Villarin (Akbayan Partylist) and Gary Alejano (Magdalo Partylist) said Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has insisted on pushing through with the DOTr’s plan to forego of public biddings for the projects under the proposed emergency powers, all aimed at addressing the traffic crisis that has engulfed Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Davao City.
Villarin and Alejano urged their House colleagues, particularly members of the Committee on Transportation, to thoroughly study the proposed implementation of a no-bidding plan and determine whether or not accountability and transparency policies would be violated.
Villarin warned that allowing the DOTr to enter into negotiated contracts under the guise of emergency powers may lead to massive anomalies instead.
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatched,” Villarin cautioned Tugade, who announced in a recent press briefing at the Palace that the Duterte administration will “build, build, build” to the tune of P8 trillion once they get the special powers they are seeking.
“Emergency powers are not justified as these will lead to greed and abuse. While there is great potential in having these infrastructure projects, mechanisms of transparency and accountability must be put in place, especially when some of the government’s Chinese partners have been tagged by Transparency International as among the companies that ‘symbolize grand corruption’,” he added.
Alejano admitted that Congress has yet to take a close look at the proposal.
However, he said the timing of the implementation of these projects must be seriously considered because it may paralyze the entire Metro Manila.
“That is a huge amount. We must remember that constructions in the National Capital Region should be planned and phased because, even if assuming you have the money, you cannot do the projects all at the same time in just so short a time. It will paralyze the whole capital,” Alejano said.
“We must also consider that there is not much space for expansion and the population and the number of cars are rising. There is no substitute for laying the ground now for long-term solutions.
Tugade on Thursday called on Congress to grant his department emergency powers to allow it to solve the worsening traffic crisis in Metro Manila and in other congested provinces.
“Is the population willing to wait some more?” Tugade said, hinting that Congress is to blame for the delay in the implementation of promised solutions as lawmakers have yet to pass the special powers package.
“We need the emergency power to expedite… If they would not give it, we will do what we believe needs to be done, but there will be delays,” Tugade said.
Earlier, Senator Grace Poe, who heads the Senate Committee on Public Services, cautioned the DOTr to ensure that public funds are spent judiciously even with emergency powers.
Poe issued the warning as she questioned the DOTr’s P219-billion proposed subway project that will cover only 14 kilometers.
“When it comes to spending taxpayers’ money, the rule is that the bigger the expenditure the rigorous the scrutiny must be… If projects do not go through public bidding, that means it will be more prone to corruption,” she said.
“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,” Poe added.
The post Solons Wary of P8-Trillion Projects Under Proposed Emergency Powers appeared first on Manila Bulletin
Share It To Your Friends!
Loading...