PNP budget for NTF-ELCAC allegedly used in ’13 million projects’

The Philippine National Police has carried out 13 million activities this year with nearly P1-billion in funding from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, said this based on what was reached in his report by outgoing PNP Chief Guillermo Eleazar amid the budget deliberations of the Senate.

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Based on the said report, the PNP had 12 clusters that carried out various activities in the communities, such as counter mobilization activities, providing support to the communities and monitoring the movements of communist terrorist groups, capacity building and situational awareness, and so on.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who examined the NTF-ELCAC budget of the PNP and the Department of Interior and Local Government, could not believe this report.

“24 na taon na po ako sa Senado, ngayon ko lang narining ang report na 13 million activities in a span of 1 year or less than 1 year,” he said.

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According to his computation, if the 13 million activities of the PNP from January to October are true, they were able to carry out 43,333 activities per day which he said is hard to believe.

PNP budget for NTF-ELCAC allegedly used in ’13 million projects’

Drilon said the Commission on Audit criticized the use of the NTF-ELCAC budget. For this reason, he asked Angara to study carefully whether to approve the new P1.19 billion NTF-ELCAC budget allocated to the DILG and PNP.

Of the said amount, P110.4 million will be deposited in the Office of the Secretary, and almost P1 billion again will be given to the PNP.

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On Wednesday, Vice President Leni Robredo has reiterated her call to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

“There is a duplication of mandate… It has functions that other agencies are already doing,” Robredo said in Filipino in Batangas.

“The intention was good, but if we give too much power and support from the government, there might be a time when this will be used… for harassment,” she added.

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