There is still hope for EDSA if Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HnP) senatorial bets Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito and Francis Tolentino could have their way.

Ejercito, a proponent of mass transport and infrastructure, yesterday found an ally in Tolentino in pushing for the congressional grant of emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila, particularly along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) which is considered the main traffic artery of the metropolis.

“The President should be given emergency powers. It (traffic problem) could have been finished today (had he possessed it),” Tolentino, a former presidential political adviser, said.

Tolentino used to also lead the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Ejercito, meanwhile, proposed to focus on providing the masses with more access to public transport which, he said, should be coupled with infrastructure development expected to be filled with projects under President Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

But Tolentino insisted the Chief Executive should receive support from Congress to be able to solve the traffic mess plaguing not just the country’s daily movement but the economy as well.

Tolentino blamed Sen. Grace Poe, chair of Senate Committee on Public Services, for blocking the passage of the bill which would have granted the President extra power to solve Metro Manila’s problem with traffic congestion.

“You know who blocked the measure, right? It was (Sen.) Grace (Poe)!” he said. “The emergency has been there for a long time. Why (did she) deprive the Chief Executive of that power to address the emergency?”

Mr. Duterte recently admitted it’s only his promise on EDSA that he had failed to fulfill.

“There is no promise I have not fulfilled except for one, and that is EDSA. I promised free tuition, the law is there. I promised free universal health care, I have signed the law. What else do you want?” the President said in a recent speech.

Tolentino said Mr. Duterte is likely to ask the new Congress to grant him the emergency power if he sees that both Houses will exert efforts in passing a bill on the matter.

“If he sees congressional and Senate support, maybe the President will take action,” he said.

This was backed by Ejercito even as he cited he was among the senators who sought to grant the President with emergency powers.

Mentioning his advocacy that pushes for infrastructure development in the country, he said giving the President the power to ease traffic congestion in major cities will further boost economic growth.

“Our economy is getting better, but we are not reaching the full potential of economic growth because of our infrastructure deficiency,” Ejercito said.

“In the past, we belonged to the top five in ASEAN. Now, Vietnam is ahead of us. We have to address this. If we can expedite, I will file again if needed,” he added.