Photo Release

Emergency power to ease traffic congestion?: Sen. Grace Poe, during the Senate Committee on Public Service hearing Tuesday, September 10, questions Department of Transportation (DOTr) officials led by Secretary Arthur Tugade, their masterplan to solve traffic congestion in Metro Manila, particularly the 23.8-kilometer EDSA. Tugade, in his opening statement, said should the Congress granted President Duterte emergency power, much could have been done to solve the problem. But Poe, committee chair, told Tugade emergency power is not actually needed to make the country’s mass railway system operational, citing the 48 Dalian coaches, which were purchased from China more than three years ago, to replace defective MRT trains but remain inoperational. (PRIB photo by Joseph Vidal/10 September 2019)