Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile yesterday sought an additional P20-billion appropriation for the Department of National Defense (DND) in the wake of global terrorism affecting other countries.
Enrile made the suggestion even after the Senate agreed to raise the budget of the DND.
Senator Loren Legarda, Senate Finance Committee chair, admitted that the P116.2-billion proposed DND budget for 2016 is not enough despite a P250-million augmentation fund to the Office of the Secretary of the DND for its quick response fund (QRF).
The senator said there is a possibility the Philippines may find itself facing terrorism threats that European communities and other countries are dealing with right now.
“The strategic situation in the world and this region is not very encouraging for the country,” Enrile told reporters in an interview at the sidelines of the budget hearing.
“There is no perceptible threat now but it is possible, probable that as a part of the planet, we will be involved in the problems that are now occurring in Europe and in other parts of the world,” he stressed.
“You know these things, you cannot plan just tomorrow; you have to plan it within a certain frame of time,” said the veteran lawmaker.
He cited the downing of a Russian plane by the Turkish government straining relations between Russia and Turkey.
Add to that is the United States’ global travel warning due to the increased terrorist threats following ISIS attacks in Paris, France.
The Philippines, itself is, is trying to defuse tensions with China amid its aggressive reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea.
“That is just the problem of terrorism, but this morning, Turkey shot down a jet of the Russians,” he said.
Asked how much augmentation should be given, he said it must be around “P10 to P20 billion.”
During interpellations on the DND’s budget, Legarda said she is open to augmenting the DND’s budget given that apart from the P250 million, the Philippine Army has put forward additional fund requests.
According to Legarda, the DND proposed a budget of P202.3 billion but the House of Representatives slashed their budget to P115.8 billion.
She said the Senate finance panel approved a higher budget of P116.2 billion.
“The chair is open within the limits of the P3.002-trillion budget to augment the budget of the Defense (department),” Legarda said in response to Enrile’s queries.
Enrile said there is a need to scrutinize the entire budget and “sacrifice some in order to protect ourselves.”
http://www.mb.com.ph/enrile-wants-to-beef-up-defense-budget-by-p20b/
Enrile made the suggestion even after the Senate agreed to raise the budget of the DND.
Senator Loren Legarda, Senate Finance Committee chair, admitted that the P116.2-billion proposed DND budget for 2016 is not enough despite a P250-million augmentation fund to the Office of the Secretary of the DND for its quick response fund (QRF).
The senator said there is a possibility the Philippines may find itself facing terrorism threats that European communities and other countries are dealing with right now.
“The strategic situation in the world and this region is not very encouraging for the country,” Enrile told reporters in an interview at the sidelines of the budget hearing.
“There is no perceptible threat now but it is possible, probable that as a part of the planet, we will be involved in the problems that are now occurring in Europe and in other parts of the world,” he stressed.
“You know these things, you cannot plan just tomorrow; you have to plan it within a certain frame of time,” said the veteran lawmaker.
He cited the downing of a Russian plane by the Turkish government straining relations between Russia and Turkey.
Add to that is the United States’ global travel warning due to the increased terrorist threats following ISIS attacks in Paris, France.
The Philippines, itself is, is trying to defuse tensions with China amid its aggressive reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea.
“That is just the problem of terrorism, but this morning, Turkey shot down a jet of the Russians,” he said.
Asked how much augmentation should be given, he said it must be around “P10 to P20 billion.”
During interpellations on the DND’s budget, Legarda said she is open to augmenting the DND’s budget given that apart from the P250 million, the Philippine Army has put forward additional fund requests.
According to Legarda, the DND proposed a budget of P202.3 billion but the House of Representatives slashed their budget to P115.8 billion.
She said the Senate finance panel approved a higher budget of P116.2 billion.
“The chair is open within the limits of the P3.002-trillion budget to augment the budget of the Defense (department),” Legarda said in response to Enrile’s queries.
Enrile said there is a need to scrutinize the entire budget and “sacrifice some in order to protect ourselves.”
http://www.mb.com.ph/enrile-wants-to-beef-up-defense-budget-by-p20b/
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