(Eagle News)–For Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, there is no need to convene a bicameral conference committee on Road Board abolition.
In the first place, Drilon said in a statement, the Senate “has already taken the position that the bill to abolish the Road Board is already approved by virtue of its adoption of House Bill 7436 on September 12.”
“When we adopted the House bill on September 12, there are no more disagreeing provisions..The Senate’s action made the bicam unnecessary, which means the bill to abolish the corruption-plagued agency is already considered passed by both chambers, and should have long been sent to the President’s desk for his signature,” Drilon said.
Drilon was referring to the House bill passed under then-Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’s leadership.
The House–under now-Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo—later rescinded the approval of the same, but senators have taken the position it could no longer do this since the Senate already adopted HB 7436 before the rescission in the first place.
President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been vocal about the need to abolish the agency tasked to determine where the motor vehicle users’ charge goes, has backed the Senate’s position.
According to Drilon, the Senate’s position the final measure could now be sent to President Duterte’s office for his approval without the bicameral conference committee was reflected in Resolution No. 134 which the chamber adopted before it went on a break on Dec. 13.
Under the resolution, the Senate urged the Office of the President not to release MVUC funds following the passage of the measure that would abolish the Road Board by Congress.
“The Senate President issued statements to assert the position of the Senate. We better stick to it and continue to urge the House leadership to abide and respect the legislative process and the decision of the President,” Drilon added.
Drilon issued the statement after Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri suggested the convening of a bicameral conference committee to debate on the measure before it is sent to Duterte for approval.
Under the rules, a bicameral conference committee is convened to thresh out the differences between the House’s version and the Senate’s version of a proposed measure.
House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr., who had repeatedly denied Duterte had wanted the Road Board abolished until the chief executive himself confirmed he wanted the abolition, agreed with Zubiri’s proposal.
