OVP told not to replicate ‘Libreng Sakay’ program; Sara says buses loaned to DOTr

A senator on Thursday advised the Office of the Vice President (OVP) not to replicate the services of other government agencies like the "Libreng Sakay" program that is under the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
 
"We have this Libreng Sakay but of course when we try to replicate what the entire government is doing it will really cost us. It will cost us a lot and we really cannot afford it," Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III said during the Senate finance committee hearing on the OVP's P2.3-billion proposed budget for 2023.
 
"Siguro we should just select the services, yung talagang kailangang kailangan ng taumbayan at tsaka hindi na binibigay ng ibang ahensya. Kasi for example, itong Libreng Sakay, DOTr dito naman sa Metro Manila...So siguro we should not try to replicate the entire government setup through the OVP," he added.
 
In response, Vice President Sara Duterte said they are not duplicating nor replicating the existing Libreng Sakay of the DOTr.
 
"In fact, the buses were lent to the OVP which we lent to the DOTr. So Instead of the DOTr renting, they have free buses, five buses from the OVP for which they do not pay for the lease of the buses," Duterte informed the Senate panel.
 
She also said that the OVP is only covering the driver's salary and fuel costs.
 
In its presentation before the House appropriations panel, the OVP's budget proposal showed a P32.5-million budget for the operation of satellite offices and the purchase of various motor vehicles such as passenger vans and buses under the Libreng Sakay program.
 
The P32.5-million allocation was placed under the transportation capital outlay.
 
The OVP launched its Libreng Sakay program in August together with the DOTr.
 
As of September 27, 2022, the OVP said the program had accommodated around 84,000 passengers.
 
The DOTr has requested P12 billion for its service contracting program, which includes its own Libreng Sakay program, for 2023, but it was not granted by the Department of Budget and Management.
 
The service contracting or Libreng Sakay program of the DOTr and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board was launched in late 2020 under Republic Act 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act to help commuters and those in the public transport sector affected by the pandemic.
 
Under the service contracting program, PUV operators and drivers who participated in the government’s free ridership program will receive a one-time payout and weekly payments based on the number of kilometers traveled per week, whether they have passengers or not. — VBL, GMA News