President Rodrigo Duterte said he would order concerned government agencies to provide escorts for ambulance carrying patient who is in an emergency situation to arrive in a hospital still alive.

Duterte's statement was in response to a news report some patients being transported by ambulance could not make it to the hospital because of the traffic woes in Metro Manila.

"Maybe I will ask all - Metro Manila, Highway Patrol (Group)...if they see a siren, they should pull (the flow of traffic)," he said.

He said he would ask Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Danilo Lim to come up with such procedure.

"May be that would be a mandatory work for them," he said.

The Department of Transportation has been asking Congress to grant Duterte emergency powers in order to address the traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

However, some lawmakers, including Senator Grace Poe, have said the problem could be addressed even without granting emergency powers to the President.

Poe also raised concern that there could be corruption if emergency powers would be given to Duterte. Celerina Monte/DMS