The House of Representatives will heed President Duterte’s call for the abolition of the Road Board.
However, House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. (PDP-Laban, Camarines Sur) said the chamber will make sure that the Road Board funds, now reaching R45 billion due to non-disbursements, will not be spent by “one person in an un-transparent way.”
Andaya was apparently referring to Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno who has been tagged as the mastermind of the so-called P75-billion “park” pork barrel funds that were sneakily inserted in the proposed 2019 national budget.
“As an institution, we will heed the President’s call. Finally, we can concentrate on the scrutiny of the 2018 budget, parked pork, and P75-billion DBM insertions,” the House official said.
“No residues. No Three Road Kings,” stated Andaya, referring to the Secretaries of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
“We are in support of putting proceeds from the MVUC as part of the General Fund. Not an off budget item that will be spent by one person in an un-transparent way,” he said.
Malacañang said it is glad that the House of Representatives has finally listened to the wish of Duterte to abolish the Road Board which he claimed is a milking cow of corrupt politicians.
“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,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.
Panelo said Duterte’s call has made Andaya in touch with reality.
Andaya had said that Duterte wants to keep the Road Board despite Panelo and Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno saying otherwise. Because of this, Andaya said Panelo and Diokno must have been out of touch with the President.
“Rep. Andaya is finally in touch with reality contrary to his claim that Secretary Diokno and I were out of touch with the President in the matter of the latter’s position on the road users’ tax,” Panelo said.
The Palace official reiterated Duterte’s distaste for corruption and pointed out that the President will hold anyone who messes with the people’s money accountable.
“The President, pursuant to the command of the Constitution to serve and protect the people, 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,” Panelo said.
“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,” he added. (Ben Rosario with a report from Argyll Geducos)