THERE would be no allocated funding under the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP) The Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Service Contracting Program (SCP), which makes the government’s “libreng sakay” or free rides initiative possible.
DOTr officials revealed this on Thursday, Aug. 25 during the organizational hearing of the House Committee on Transportation chaired by Antipolo 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop.
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista led the agency’s contingent in the mixed live and virtual hearing.
During the agency’s presentation, the officials enumerated the concerns that they have per sector in a bid to seek the House members’ intervention just before the start of the deliberations on the NEP.
Perhaps no concern was more urgent than the missing allocation for the SCP, and by extension, the libreng sakay program.
“So by next year, wala nang libreng sakay? (there is no more libreng sakay?)” Rizal 3rd district Rep. Jojo Garcia Jr. asked DOTr Undersecretary Steve Pastor.
“We requested P12 billion po for [the] 2023 budget. However, hindi po siya naisama sa (it was not included in the) National Expenditure Program,” Pastor said.
The NEP is the precursor of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), which, after being signed by the President, becomes the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“We are appealing of course to our legislative branch of government, kung maaari pong mapondahan pa rin itong service contracting, upang next year po ay magkaroon pa ho ng pondo para sa libreng sakay (if you could please still set aside funds for service contracting. so that the free rides could still be funded),” Pastor added, addressing the panel.
According to Pastor, the DOTr has already utilized the P7 billion allocated for the program under the 2022 GAA.
