Duterte says all his campaign promises met, except resolving traffic woes
President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday blamed Congress for his failure to fulfill one of his campaign promises, which is to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
In a speech during the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP-Laban campaign rally in Laguna, Duterte said he was able to attain almost all of his promises except resolving the traffic situation.
"I don't have any unfulfilled promise except the (traffic problem in) EDSA," said Duterte.
"I promised free tuition, the law is already there. I promised free universal healthcare, I already signed the law. What do you want? What else do you want? The Pantawid (Pamilyang Pilipino Progam), I said I will continue it. Where will I get (the fund)? It's all in the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law)," he added.
The President said Congress did not give him the "emergency powers," which were granted to former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos, because of suspicion of corruption.
"What I said is, I did not say there will be no bidding. I said I would need money to repair or rehabilitate or do away with the present situation. Other said, the congressmen, ‘Let us give Duterte the power, extraordinary power’. You never heard it from me because I know," said Duterte.
“So what did I hear from Congress? 'Ah it can't be because you know, graft and corruption enters here’... That's why until now I can't do anything about (the problem in) Edsa. But never did I ask money and say there will be no bidding," he added.
Duterte also shared the status of his administration's "Build, Build, Build" infrastructure program.
"My Build Build Build? I did not promise it (during campaign), you never heard it from me. Just after I won since (it needed) big money. Mine is simple, I said infrastructure, school... Pantawi(d) (program) Universal (Healthcare), it's all free," he said.
Duterte asked Congress to give him emergency powers to solve the traffic problem in the country.
Last December, the House of Representatives passed House Bill (HB) 6425 seeking to grant emergency powers to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) chief to address the traffic problem while the Senate Bill 1284, or the "Traffic and Congestion Crisis Act of 2016" is pending on second reading at the plenary level. Ella Dionisio/DMS
