MANILA, Philippines鈥 No less than President Rodrigo Duterte has said: 鈥淲e should abolish the Road Board.鈥
Sen. Aquilino 鈥淜oko鈥 Pimentel III recalled the President telling him those words 鈥渋n very categorical terms鈥 during the birthday party of Sen. Manny Pacquiao last Dec.17.
鈥淒uring the birthday party of Sen. Manny Pacquiao on Dec. 17, 2018 in Gen San, President Duterte called for me and told me in very categorical terms that 鈥榳e should abolish the Road Board鈥,鈥 Pimentel said in a Viber message to reporters on Friday.
Pimentel said he told the President that bill seeking to abolish the Road Board had been passed already by the upper chamber when he was still the Senate President and by the House of Representatives during the time of then Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.
But the House later rescinded the approval of the bill immediately after Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the post of Speaker.
鈥淗ence, this incident should be clearly indicative of President Duterte鈥檚 desire to abolish the board,鈥 the senator said. 鈥淭he President wants the Road Board abolished!鈥
The senator was echoing Malacanang鈥檚 repeated statements that the President would want the Road Board abolished.
This was contrary to the claim of House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. that Duterte wanted to continue the operation of the Board as allegedly indicated in a meeting in Malaca帽ang last September.
Andaya said Arroyo was also present at the meeting.
READ: Andaya doubts President will abolish Road Board
The Senate and the House are in a stalemate on the issue of abolishing the board, which oversees the road user鈥檚 tax.
Under the law that created the board, the funds collected from the road user鈥檚 tax should be earmarked for maintenance and improvement of the country鈥檚 roads, drainage and road safety devices. /atm