Lawmakers passed House Bill 6425, or the proposed Traffic and Congestion Crisis Act, last week. The measure does not give the President emergency powers once enacted into law, but it would pave the way for the creation of a single traffic authority headed by an all-powerful traffic chief who will be appointed by the President.
Serving as the alter ego of the President, the traffic chief would have power of supervision over all local government units (LGUs) in metropolitan areas —Metro Manila, Davao and Metro Cebu—with the full power and authority to streamline the management of traffic and transportation and control road use in these areas.
The traffic chief shall have the power of supervision and control over the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority; Cebu Coordinating Council, as created under the bill; Philippine National Police-Traffic Management Group; Land Transportation Office; Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board; Road Board; all other executive agencies, bureaus and offices with roles pertaining to land transportation regulation; and the Davao traffic administrator. He or she shall also formulate, coordinate, and monitor policies, standards, programs and projects to rationalize existing public transport operations, infrastructure requirements, the use of thoroughfares, safe movement of persons and goods, the administration and implementation of all traffic enforcement operations, traffic engineering services and traffic education programs.
That, indeed, is a lot of power. And it’s not emergency or temporary power. We doubt if centralizing all the power in one person is even necessary. Like Lito Atienza, the senior deputy minority leader of the House of Representatives, we also ask how this could address the real causes of our traffic problems.
“How will giving authorities more power help solve the traffic mess in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Davao, when the root causes of our traffic problem—corruption, mismanagement and incompetence—are not being addressed? It is like prescribing medicine that would only treat the symptoms, but not the virus that causes the illness,” Atienza said.
“The solutions being proposed in this piece of legislation are not the answers to our problem. We do not need more laws and powers. All the laws are already in place, but the government is not enforcing the law. What we need is stricter and honest-to-goodness enforcement of existing laws covering traffic management, as well as punishing erring traffic officials especially enforcers on the streets,” Atienza said during his interpellation of the bill’s sponsor, Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento.
Again, we agree.
As we keep saying, road discipline and traffic rules are the first signs of a civilized society while their absence or wanton disregard for them depicts a pathetic, backward society. We need to bring back road discipline. We can solve our traffic problems in Metro Manila and other urban centers through relatively cheaper, ingenious ways and with political will. But we need rules. We can’t operate without rules, and rules must be strictly implemented and followed.
Simply obeying traffic laws, for instance, is sometimes overlooked but it often prevents both chokepoints and accidents on our roads.
Take, for instance, the Buendia and Osmeña Highway intersection, which is one of the busiest intersections in Makati, and just about a hundred meters away from BusinessMirror offices. It is often jammed because authorities turn off the traffic lights at this intersection instead of making sure motorists follow them. Sadly, this is replicated in many busy intersections in the metropolis. Many times traffic lights are turned off with no police minding these intersections, resulting in bedlam.
When everyone is following rules, the road is more organized, more efficient and most important safer. And yet why is it that authorities themselves are the first ones who disregard traffic lights and other rules, when they are the ones who should be enforcing them and preventing traffic violations?
We know this is just one simple example, but obviously you do not need an all-powerful traffic chief to have motorists follow simple traffic rules, such as obeying traffic lights.
And turning on those traffic lights is a good start.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/more-powers-wont-solve-traffic-problem/
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