Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. INQUIRER.NET PHOTO/CATHY MIRANDA
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will now wait for Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s signature before transmitting to the President the bill that seeks to abolish the Road Board.
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III made the decision after being told about House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr.’s latest statement that the lower chamber would heed President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to abolish the board.
READ: House to heed Duterte’s call for Road Board abolition – Andaya
“That’s good news. It will avoid any further conflict,” Sotto said in a text message on Saturday.
“We were ready to ask for the President’s signature but now that the HOR (House of Representatives) will support, then we will wait for the Speaker’s signature,” he added.
The Senate and the House have locked horns over the proposed abolition of the Road Board, which oversees the funds collected from road user’s tax.
The proposal was already approved by the House during the time of former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and was later adopted by the Senate.
But the House, under Arroyo’s leadership, rescinded its approval of the bill.
Despite the House’s withdrawal of the measure, Sotto signed the measure and has expressed his readiness to transmit the bill to the President even without Arroyo’s signature.
“l’ll transmit it today,” Sotto said in a press conference last Tuesday.
“Basta gusto nilang makita ‘yung kopya na pirmado ko eh. Ipapadala ko na today (They only wanted to see the copy that I signed. I’ll send it today),” he added. /je
READ: Sotto to transmit Road Board bill to Malacañang sans Arroyo signature