Senate Minority Leader Pimentel was appalled to see a large sum of money allotted just to monitor the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, as he also questioned the funding for other agencies.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) eyes P1 billion of its proposed P252.58 billion budget for 2023 just to 'assess and evaluate’ the government's community programs, such as the anti-insurgency campaign of its anti-communist task force.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III was aghast and shocked during the DILG budget deliberation after he saw a huge amount allotted for monitoring the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), Inquirer reported.
There is a P400 million budget for that task this year, plus a P1.084 billion budget for "the same task" next year despite the NTF-Elcac being repeatedly chastised for failing to account for billions of pesos received over the past three years,
Pimentel was dismayed that such a large sum was being given for assessments and evaluations when many other agencies were begging for funds just to stay in business.
As an example, he cited the Philippine Postal Corporation, which he said needs P400 million "to save our postal system."
Sen. Sonny Angara, Senate finance chair, defended the DILG budget saying that the P1.084 billion is included in the proposed budget of the Philippine National Police (PNP), which is overseen by the DILG, and will be used to “cover and monitor activities meant to address the root causes of insurgency.”
Pimentel mentioned that the amount was being allotted to the DILG for anti-insurgency programs even though it was not tasked with identifying villages "cleared" of rebel influence or control that would receive funding and would not be responsible for cash aid distribution.
“We hope the secretary (of DILG) was listening so they will know that they are being given this huge funding, which does not even involve the giving of cash aid to cleared barangays, nor the identification of the cleared barangays … but just evaluating (the activities),” he added.
Budget submitted
With the DILG budget deemed submitted, the Senate minority can propose changes to funding items during the amendments period, but this will require the support of at least a majority of the 24 senators.
Congress leaders hoped that they would pass the national budget by next month.
Angara added that the P1.084-billion fund is separate from the P10 billion set aside for the NTF-Elcac via the Assistance to Local Government Units (Algu) application filed with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The DILG funding includes the monitoring of the implementation of the Support to Barangay Development Program (BDP) under the NTF-Elcac. BDP includes projects and activities intended to develop communities that were once mired in conflict due to the communist insurgency.
The funds for these programs and projects were scattered among several agencies to implement and coordinate the government’s anti-insurgency campaign.
Angara added that it was the Armed Forces of the Philippines that declares which barangays have been cleared and are eligible for P20 million in funding support, while the DBM distributes the funds to the affected barangays
Meanwhile, the PNP is responsible for conducting counter-mobilization activities, law enforcement, capacity building and situational awareness, as well as monitoring and other activities.
Questionable funds
Pimentel went after the confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) whose amounts he had previously questioned, particularly those allotted to the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Office of the Vice President, both of which are under Vice President Sara Duterte.
He focused on the P1.3 billion CIF of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and PNP, whose confidential and intelligence funds did not prevent a mishap between their officers that killed four people near Gotesco Mall in Quezon City in a botched drug buy-bust operation a year ago.
“With your combined billions, and then that’s the drama you play out before the Filipino people? Putting their lives at risk, not knowing what was happening, causing people to be traumatized?” he said.
Given that huge amount of money are being allocated, there is reason to be skeptical about the use of people’s money, as it is not being spent properly.
For 2023, the PNP will get P806 million in intelligence funds and the PDEA will have P500 million in confidential funds.
Pimentel further questioned the P20-million increase in the confidential funds and he urged anti-drug agencies to share intelligence information to avoid other ‘misencounters.’
Citing an example, six police officers were killed and nine others were injured in 2018 when soldiers on patrol mistook them for communist guerrillas in Sta Rita's hinterlands in Samar.
Angara agreed with Pimentel that intelligence sharing between the PNP and the PDEA needs to be improved.
He also added that, while the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conducted a formal investigation into the Gotesco shootout, a formal report has yet to be released.
Tags: #DILG, #PNP, #PDEA, #Funding, #NTF-Elcac