Palace welcomes House decision to heed Duterte’s call for Road Board abolition

FILE: Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Secretary Salvador Panelo holds a press briefing for the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) on Monday, November 26, 2018, at the New Executive Building (NEB) in Malacañang. (Photo: Office of the Presidential Spokesperson/Facebook)

Malacañang on Saturday, December 22, welcomed the decision of the House of Representatives to heed President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for the graft-ridden Road Board to be abolished.

“Rep. [Rolando] Andaya, [Jr.] is finally in touch with reality contrary to his claim that [Budget] Secretary [Benjamin] Diokno and I were out of touch with the President in the matter of the latter’s position on the road users’ tax,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

“We are pleased to know that the House of Representatives has listened to the voice of the people who have long been outraged by the corruption surrounding the use of the said tax,” he added.

Andaya, earlier on Saturday, announced that the lower house will heed the call of the President, after the latter supported the Senate in scrapping the Road Board which he branded as the “milking cow” of corrupt politicians.

“If the President wants an abolition of the road board, let it be real abolition. No residues. No Three Road Kings,” the House Majority Leader said.

Andaya was referring to the secretaries of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Transportation (DoTr), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), whom he said have “dictatorial powers” over the motor vehicle user’s charge (MVUC) which is being managed by the Road Board for repairs and maintenance of roads.

Pursuant to the command of the Constitution, Panelo, in his statement, maintained that Duterte has “laid the basis of his governance at the inception of his presidency that the people’s money shall only be spent for their welfare, and those who steal from it shall be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Let the President’s call for a clean and responsive government to the needs of the governed be taken to heart by those who temporarily wield political power so that our country could commence to traverse the path righteousness and progress so long denied them by those they have entrusted with authority,” the spokesman further said.

Diokno earlier revealed that “many” lawmakers approached him to ask regarding the status of the release of road user’s tax as he suspected that some of them want to use the fund for the 2019 election campaign.

“Marami nang lumapit sa akin na pulitiko na tinatanong iyong status nga ng road user’s fund na iyon, kailan mari-release and so forth. Sabi ko hindi ko iri-release iyan until that issue on the road board is settled (Many politicians came to me asking about the status of the road user’s fund, like when will it be released and so forth. I said I won’t release it until that issue on the road board is settled),” he earlier told reporters.

The Budget chief said Andaya and House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez were among those who inquired from him about the release of the funds.

The two congressmen recently butted heads with Diokno over the alleged “insertions” in the proposed 2019 national budget.

The House even adopted House Resolution (HR) 2365, urging the President to remove Diokno as Budget chief over the allegation, but the Palace said Diokno still have Duterte’s trust and confidence.