Recto urges gov’t to use OP intel fund to find ASG terrorists, killers of top revenue officials

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 22): Recto urges gov’t to use OP intel fund to find ASG terrorists, killers of top revenue officials

Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto urged on Tuesday the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to use the intelligence fund of the Office of the President (OP) to find the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists and killers of top revenue officials.

”If they were killed by scalawags out to sabotage your anti-corruption program, then please use the presidential intelligence fund in finding their killers,” Recto said.

Recto stressed that the recent brazen killing of two high-ranking revenue officials must not go unsolved as they repudiate government claim of streets made safe by its intensified anti-crime drive.
Killed in separate ambushes were Bureau of Revenue (BIR) Makati Regional Director Jonas Amora and Bureau of Customs Deputy Commissioner Arturo Lachica.

Recto said these are the high-profile cases that may need direct presidential directive and resources to solve.

For this year, Recto said the OP confidential and intelligence fund has a budget of PHP500 million, but is expected to increase to PHP2.5 billion next year, which both Houses of Congress are expected to grant.

Recto said “another problematic case” which may require presidential-funded sleuthing is the arrest of Abu Sayyaf members who have gone on a recent kidnapping spree in areas around Sulu Sea.

“If there’s one good example which would show that ‘intel fund’ can solve national security challenges, then it is in stopping, once and for all, the Abu Sayyaf,” he said.

“If we are looking for the ‘monetary big guns’ to fight our enemies with, then that should be the intelligence fund of the highest office of the land,” Recto said.

The Senate minority leader said “that, at present, I have no issue with the OP getting a huge sum of money for intelligence activities for as long as this is only used to find, neutralize the real, violent enemies of the people like the Abu Sayyaf.”

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=942271