No changes in Duterte’s P4.5B intelligence fund – Lacson

On Wednesday, Senator Panfilo Lacson said he did not continue his plans to reduce the P4.5 billion confidential and intelligence funds under the Office of the President in 2021.

He said he decided not to push through after learning that the budget would be distributed to other agencies.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I also planned to have it reduced kasi P4.5 billion only for the President, but when I asked around, mga pulis, military, even the intelligence community, dini-distribute pala ni President Duterte sa kanila to augment their own intelligence fund,” Lacson said in an interview on ANC.

Lacson, a former Philippine National Police chief, said he got this information from his independent and informal talks with the security members.

“After hearing that information, ‘di ko na itinuloy ang plano ko to support the reduction of the presidential confidential and intelligence fund, as long as it is put to good use,” he added.

ADVERTISEMENT

In September, Lacson said he would scrutinize Duterte’s proposed intelligence funds.

Also read: Lacson wants P63-B realignment from DPWH’s proposed budget

No changes in Duterte’s P4.5B intelligence fund – Lacson

“Maybe it’s time to really ask because ‘yung liquidation nito wala nang problema because intelligence fund nga, eh. I myself intend to ask this question when the Office of the President’s  budget is up for discussion,” Lacson previously said in an interview on ANC.

ADVERTISEMENT

“‘Pag sinabi mong P4.5 billion a year under one agency, which is the Office of the President, which is not a big office, so how do they spend that?” he added.

“The President has control over other intelligence funds of the entire bureaucracy, meaning ‘yung executive department… Kontrolado pa rin ng Presidente ‘yan, kung gusto niya i-control ang release, he can control,” he added, citing, for example, the Department of National Defense, Philippine National Police, among others.

The P4.5 billion intelligence and confidential funds are 55% of the President’s office’s total allocation for 2021, which is at P8.19 billion.

According to the Department of Budget and Management data, it was only during the Duterte administration that the intelligence and confidential funds allocation reached the billion-peso mark.