The House Committee on Appropriations has approved the Department of Transportation (DOTr)'s proposed P151.34 billion budget for 2022. The budget proposal, approved Wednesday, Sept. 15, will now advance to the Plenary for deliberations.

Significantly, infrastructure projects took up 88 percent of the agency's P117.13 billion Capital Outlays budget, with the Railway Sector getting the biggest chunk, 98 percent, of the total infrastructure budget.

DOTr is allocating P16. 86 billion for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses; P16.75 billion for Personnel Services and P7.88 million for Financial Expenses.

In all, P150.763 billion of DOTr's proposed budget needs to be included in the 2022 General Appropriations Act, while P579.8 million are already covered by existing appropriations which Congress previously authorized.

Notably, several lawmakers supported DOTR's Service Contracting program which gives weekly payouts to drivers according to the number of trips they completed per week, and allows the operation of free rides for medical frontliners and essential workers in the pandemic.

The DOTr requested P10 billion from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to fund the Service Contracting Program.

However, the proposed fund was not included in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2022.

Samar 1st District Representative Edgar Mary Sarmiento, who is also the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, appealed to his fellow lawmakers to reevaluate the proposed Service Contracting budget so it will be included in the 2022 NEP.

“We will assist the budget and provide Service Contracting the amount of no less than P3 billion for the 2022 budget," says Rep. Sarmiento.

Wrapping up the 4-hour budget deliberation, Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. and House Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Manuel Jose Dalipe stated that the Committee will support the passage of the DOTr’s 2022 budget.