Duterte Scraps Road Board for Good

The Road Board is dead. Thanks to President Rodrigo Duterte, he has already signed its demise into law with Republic Act No. 11239.

Republic Act No. 11239, which dissolves the Road Board under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), is transferring its PHP45 billion Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC) fund back to the National Treasury.

“All monies collected under this Act shall be remitted to the National Treasury under a special account in the General Fund to be earmarked solely for the construction upgrading, repair, and rehabilitation of roads, bridges, and road drainage to be included in the annual General Appropriations Act,” the law said.

Meanwhile, a committee composed of five members from the House of Representatives and five senators will be in charge of monitoring the use of the MVUC fund.

Graft and Corruption

The Road Board is notorious for its corruption, and has been rife with controversies over the years.

Talks of its abolishment has been in the works since the last quarter of 2018, with President Duterte one of its main antagonists.

“I’ve always been wary about this office because it has been the milking cow of people who are corrupt in government,” Duterte said, and noted its functions should be returned to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“Ever since, I’ve really questioned the existence of this office. It’s nothing but a depository of money and for corruption,” he added.

The Road Board is in charge of collecting the funds from the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC),  which is to be used solely for road maintenance and drainage improvement, the installation of traffic lights and road safety devices, and monitoring air pollution. Currently, the funds collected are at PHP45 billion.