Senate OKs new Road Board abolition bill

By: Maila Ager - 6 years ago

MANILA, Philippines – Within just three minutes, the Senate unanimously adopted on Tuesday a new version of a bill that will abolish the graft-tainted Road Board.

The new version of House Bill No. 7436 was approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading and was later transmitted to the Senate.

READ:House OKs Road Board abolition bill on final reading

After informing the Senate that it received the bill from the House, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri moved to reconsider the upper chamber’s earlier approval of the previous version of the measure.

On September 12, 2018, the Senate adopted the first version of the bill approved by the House.

But the House later recalled its approval.

When no senator objected to his motion, Zubiri proceeded with a new motion, this time, for the adoption of the new version of HB 7436.

No senators also objected to Zubiri’s second motion.

With the Senate’s adoption of the new bill, there is no longer need for the two chambers to meet in the bicameral conference committee.

Zubiri said the measure will be sent to President Rodrigo Duterte for signature hopefully by next week or at the latest, first week of February.

Aside from the abolition of the board, the new bill provides that all monies collected from the road user’s tax will be remitted to the National Treasury under a special account in the General Fund.

The fund, under the bill, would be earmarked solely for the construction, upgrading, repair, and rehabilitation of roads, bridges and road drainage to included in the annual General Appropriations Act. / gsg

READ:Senate, House leaders agree on ‘short and simple’ Road Board bill amendments