Palace: Duterte to sign bill scrapping Road Board amid corruption reports

MANILA, Philippines —Malacañang on Tuesday said President Rodrigo Duterte will sign the bill abolishing the Road Board of the Department of Public Works and Highways as soon as he receives it, amid allegations of corruption hurled against the body.

Created through Republic Act 8794, the Road Board is mandated to oversee the management of money collected from vehicle owners allocated for the maintenance of national and provincial roads. Last July, state auditors said they discovered that the funds were mismanaged and wasted by the “inefficient” board.

READ: COA slams ‘incompetent’ DPWH Road Board

The Senate has been urging Duterte to sign the measure that would kill the corruption-ridden agency. But the House of Representatives, under Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Pampanga), quashed its own approval of the bill, whose authors include ousted Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao del Norte), former speaker of the House.

At a press conference, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Palace is in favor of junking the Road Board, saying such a move is “needed.”

Panelo also reiterated Duterte’s order not to release funds from Road Board collections.

“We want that the fund to be returned to the Treasury, and then let Congress appropriate again for specific purpose,” the Palace spokesman said.

Last year, Alvarez said Road Board officials have been receiving 20 percent commission on infrastructure projects earmarked by House lawmakers.

For his part, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno—whom the House wants removed from the Cabinet—recently said the board is “the cash cow of lawmakers who want me out.” — Ian Nicolas Cigaral