The House of Representatives Budget Amendments and Review Subcommittee (BARSc) approved on Thursday, a proposed additional P2.349 billion for various programs and projects of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), including service contracting, a fuel subsidy for the transport sector, and the EDSA Busway project.
The allocations were approved during deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget, after lawmakers noted that the three programs had zero allocations in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
The panel first approved P500 million for the DOTr’s Service Contracting Program, following a motion by Northern Samar Second District Representative Edwin Ongchuan, who cited unstable fuel prices and geopolitical conflicts, including the Middle East crisis and the Russia-Ukraine war.
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The motion was approved without objection.
The panel also approved P1 billion for the fuel subsidy for the transport sector, which likewise had zero allocation in the proposed 2027 NEP.
Ongchuan said the allocation was necessary amid rising fuel prices.
The panel also approved an additional P75 million for the NCR Busway project, which had likewise received zero allocation in the proposed 2027 budget.
“This representation agrees with Secretary Lopez that it should be funded, uh, with the proposed budget of 75 million pesos,” Ongchuan said.
The panel also approved an additional P774 million for various locally funded DOTr projects.
With the P500 million for service contracting, P1 billion for the fuel subsidy, P75 million for the NCR Busway, and P774 million for other locally funded projects, the panel approved a total additional allocation of P2.349 billion for DOTr.
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The panel also approved several additional allocations for agencies under the Department of Justice (DOJ).
These included:
* P16 million for the digitalization program of the Office of the Solicitor General;
* P7.8 million for the Victims Compensation Program;
* P18.25 million for the Office of Cybercrime’s ICT software requirements;
* P10 million for the DOJ’s program under the National Coordination Center Against Anti-Online Sexual Abuse; and
* P30 million in additional confidential funds for the Office of the Secretary.
The proposals were approved without objection.
The panel also approved P50 million in additional confidential funds for the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
House Deputy Speaker Janette Garin said the NBI has been handling increasing demands related to social media, scams, terrorism, illegal gambling, and other criminal activities.
“The National Bureau of Investigation, the office under DOJ, actually they have been tasked with a lot of work recently, not to mention the fact that there are a lot of challenges in terms of the impact of, uh, the negative side of social media,” Garin said.
She added that the NBI’s proposed 2027 budget was significantly lower than its 2026 General Appropriations Act allocation.
The additional DOJ allocations approved during the deliberations totaled P132.05 million.
SANDIGANBAYAN GETS ADDITIONAL P180-M
The panel also approved an additional P180 million for the Sandiganbayan, particularly for general administration and support, general management and supervision, and other personnel benefits.
The Sandiganbayan has a proposed NEP allocation of approximately P1.9 billion.
Garin said the additional funding was necessary given the court’s workload and the government’s emphasis on accountability involving public funds.
The BARSc’s proposed amendments to the house bill on the 2027 national budget will be up for the consideration of the House Committee on Appropriations and the House plenary.