President Rodrigo Duterte can compel the House of Representatives to sign the enrolled bill seeking to abolish the graft-ridden Road Board, Senator Francis Escudero said Tuesday.
Escudero made the statement amid the the clash of the House and the Senate over the fate of the graft-tainted body.
The senator explained that the Senate adopted en toto the House bill abolishing the Road Board and the enrolled bill just needs to be transmitted to the President for signature.
“All that needs to be done by both Houses is to prepare the enrolled bill and transmit it to President Rodrigo Duterte for his signature,” Escudero said in a statement.
“If the House refuses to sign the enrolled bill, President Rodrigo Duterte can direct his allies in the House to do so,” he added.
If the House still refuses to sign, a case for mandamus could be filed to compel the House to sign the enrolled bill.
“A case for mandamus can be filed to compel the House to sign the enrolled bill given that it has already previously approved it,” the senator explained.
The House earlier passed the bill seeking to abolish the controversial Road Board.
READ: House passes bill abolishing Road Board
The Senate then passed and adopted the House version of the bill filed by former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.
However, House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. made a motion to rescind the approval of the said bill. Nobody objected and the motion was carried at the lower chamber.
READ: Senate, House clash over fate of Road Board
Senate President Vicente Sotto on Tuesday said that he will transmit the enrolled copy of the bill to Malacañang even without the signature of House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
READ: Sotto to transmit Road Board bill to Malacañang sans Arroyo signature
Sotto stood firm on the Senate’s position to abolish the graft-ridden Road Board, adding that the Senate will file another bill in July that will again seek for its abolition.
READ: Senate to file another bill to abolish Road Board by July 1
Before the Senate adjourned its session last week, they adopted a resolution seeking seeks to stop the release of funds from road users’ tax as the Road Board is “in effect” abolished. /ee
READ: Senate wants gov’t to stop releasing funds from road users’ tax
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