PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte threatened to abolish some government agencies next week, including the Road Board and the Sugar Regulatory Board amid allegations of corruption within their ranks.
“When I go back next week, I will abolish 1 to 3 agencies. That Road Board has to go. The Sugar Regulatory Board, I will abolish it. Just place it in an office,” Duterte said in a speech before Mindanao businessmen in Cagayan de Oro City.
Duterte slammed government offices for hiring consultants with exorbitant fees.
''Short of identifying the official, he said the guy had three consultants, the pay 200,000 pesos each month. They even have a higher wage than the President’s,” Duterte said.
“I said, I will fire…I will abolish them, I will suggest to Congress to abolish these agencies already,” Duterte said.
Last August, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez filed a bill seeking the abolition of the Road Board of the Department of Transportation to prevent the alleged misuse of the proceeds from the road users’ tax collected by the government.
Established under RA 8794, the Road Board is mandated to ensure the efficient utilization of the Road User’s Tax, a special fund solely used for road maintenance and improvement of road drainage, installation of efficient traffic lights and road safety devices, and air pollution control.
Alvarez, however, said the Commission on Audit had noted several signs of illegal utilization of the Road Fund over the years, which amounted to a total P90.72 billion from 2001 to December 2012.
The Sugar Regulatory Board, meanwhile, is mandated to promote the growth and development of the sugar industry through greater participation of the private sector and to improve the working conditions of the laborers.