By Azer Parrocha/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Malacañang on Tuesday said it found no motive in Senator Panfilo Lacson’s remark describing President Rodrigo Duterte as “superhuman” if he could solve the country’s transport problems.
Lacson said if Duterte could deliver two of his promises — to cut travel time along Edsa, particularly between Cubao and Makati from more than an hour to five minutes, and to prevent flight cancellations and delays at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), “he deserves to be President for life.”
“Ang ibig sabihin, si Senator Lacson, hanga siya kung magawa ‘yun. Kung magawa ni Presidente ‘yun, gusto niya siya na yung President for life (It means that Senator Lacson would be impressed if he could accomplish this feat. If the President could fulfill his promise, he would want him to be President for life),” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.
Meanwhile, Panelo said Duterte wants the Sangley Airbase in Cavite to accommodate domestic flights by November.
Panelo said this is a month earlier than Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade’s target to transfer the domestic flights from congested NAIA to Sangley Airbase by December.
He said Duterte thought having it completed by December “was too long.”
“Ang target date niya (Tugade) December. Ang sabi niya (Duterte), ‘Masyadong matagal ‘yan, November na lang.’ (The target date is December. He said, ‘That’s too long. It should be November,’)” Panelo said.
“He is in a hurry. He wants to fix all these things. He wants to have a solution to the traffic in Edsa,” he added.
Panelo also expressed confidence that Tugade would succeed in the plan to transfer domestic flights to the former US naval facility.
In 2018, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced plans to transfer general aviation flights to Sangley by the third quarter of 2019.
Tugade’s suggestion to transfer domestic flights to Sangley Air Base was presented during Monday night’s Cabinet meeting, according to Panelo.
During the meeting, Panelo said Duterte “directed the operations in Sangley Point to start immediately.”
Panelo said Tugade had already initiated the testing of ferries that can operate from Mall of Asia (MOA) in Pasay City to Sangley within 18 to 24 minutes.
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