MANILA – The Joint Foreign Chamber (JFC) in the Philippines on Wednesday urged Congress to complete legislation procedures that would resolve traffic and congestion crisis in the country.
“We urge Congress to complete its legislative procedures and approve the legislation on second and third reading at the earliest possible date, and recommend the President certify the measure as urgent to also speed up its passage,” JFC stated Wednesday.
It noted that both Senate and House of Representatives have completed their reports and their bills are in line for discussion and approval in the plenary.
Aiming to resolve the worsening traffic in the country, particularly Metro Manila, the House of Representatives filed House Bill 4334 or the Traffic Crisis Act of 2016 while the Senate proposed Senate Bill 1284 or the Traffic and Congestion Act of 2016.
“With the completion of the budget and the first tax reform package, the time to pass this important legislation is now,” the coalition of foreign business groups said.
“We are continually reminded of the very difficult traffic situation by the worsening congestion we experience daily during this Christmas month of December,” JFC added.
It also cited recent Uber report that Manila, along with Bangkok and Jakarta, has the worst traffic in Asia, while a Boston Consulting Group study showed that Manila is at risk of reaching standstill levels of congestion during peak hours by 2020, with a speed of less than 10 kilometers per hour.
JFC is composed of American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Philippines, Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Korean Chamber of Commerce Philippines, and Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters, Inc. (Kris Crismundo/PNA)
