MANILA - With political will and a pipeline of fast-moving projects, President Rodrigo Duterte can solve the paralyzing traffic in Metro Manila in two to three years, a senior Cabinet official said Tuesday.

A new law that will allow government to resolve "right of way issues" and 24-hour construction works will hasten the completion of major projects. Road projects are also underway, including one connecting the north and south Luzon expressways, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.

"The biggest hurdle in the accomplishment of these projects is political will and that is something that the President has a lot of," Villar told the Financial Times-First Metro Philippines Investment Summit.

"The congestion in Metro Manila is a problem that is being solved. It's a problem we believe we can solve in maybe two or three years," he said.

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Villar acknowledged that the country's decrepit infrastructure has turned off investors, and Duterte plans to bring the country's transport network at par with the rest of Asia.

Duterte has asked Congress for "emergency powers" to solve traffic congestion in the capital city of 12 million people, which results in P2.4 billion in daily economic losses according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency.