Malacañang has defended the proposed PHP16.4 billion allocation as “valid expenditure” for the government’s anti-insurgency campaign.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after the Makabayan bloc of the House of Representatives claimed that the proposed PHP16.44-billion budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) could be a form of "pork barrel" and called for its removal.
“Ang pagkakaintindi ko po, lahat po iyan ay projects related to the anti-insurgency campaign ng ating gobyerno and that's a valid expenditure (From what I understand, [the funding] is for all the projects related to the government's anti-insurgency campaign, and that's a valid expenditure),” Harry Roque said in an online briefing on Monday.
Roque said the Executive department has the duty to submit annual budget proposals.
“In any case, hindi po para sa Makabayan bloc alone na kuwestiyonin yan. Sana po makuha nila ang suporta ng mas maraming kasama nila sa Kongreso para mawala yung ganyang entry (In any case, it is not for the Makabayan bloc alone to question this. We hope that they could still get the support of their colleagues in Congress to remove such entry),” he added.
Roque, however, noted that the Executive will "bow" to the wisdom of Congress in the scrutiny of its budget proposal.
Aside from the anti-insurgency funding, Roque also defended the Office of the President's proposed confidential and intelligence funds for 2021.
During the budget briefing of the OP's proposed PHP8.238-billion 2021 budget at the House of Representatives, opposition lawmakers have questioned the proposed intelligence and confidential funds amounting to PHP4.5 billion, which accounts for more than half of the total budget of President Rodrigo Duterte's office for next year.
While he did not disclose details on where the funds will be spent, Roque assured that the use of these funds would undergo the usual audit process that would be aligned with the guidelines issued by the Commission on Audit (COA).
"Alam ninyo po kung sasabihin natin kung ano yung pinaggamitan ng intel fund (You know, if I divulge where the intel fund will be spent, it will not be intel fund anymore)," he said. "Pero (But) needless to say, although they are intel funds, mayroon pa rin pong proseso na dapat sundin sang-ayon na rin sa mga guidelines na ini-issue ng COA (there are still processes to be followed and are aligned with the guidelines issued by COA).”
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1115492
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after the Makabayan bloc of the House of Representatives claimed that the proposed PHP16.44-billion budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) could be a form of "pork barrel" and called for its removal.
“Ang pagkakaintindi ko po, lahat po iyan ay projects related to the anti-insurgency campaign ng ating gobyerno and that's a valid expenditure (From what I understand, [the funding] is for all the projects related to the government's anti-insurgency campaign, and that's a valid expenditure),” Harry Roque said in an online briefing on Monday.
Roque said the Executive department has the duty to submit annual budget proposals.
“In any case, hindi po para sa Makabayan bloc alone na kuwestiyonin yan. Sana po makuha nila ang suporta ng mas maraming kasama nila sa Kongreso para mawala yung ganyang entry (In any case, it is not for the Makabayan bloc alone to question this. We hope that they could still get the support of their colleagues in Congress to remove such entry),” he added.
Roque, however, noted that the Executive will "bow" to the wisdom of Congress in the scrutiny of its budget proposal.
Aside from the anti-insurgency funding, Roque also defended the Office of the President's proposed confidential and intelligence funds for 2021.
During the budget briefing of the OP's proposed PHP8.238-billion 2021 budget at the House of Representatives, opposition lawmakers have questioned the proposed intelligence and confidential funds amounting to PHP4.5 billion, which accounts for more than half of the total budget of President Rodrigo Duterte's office for next year.
While he did not disclose details on where the funds will be spent, Roque assured that the use of these funds would undergo the usual audit process that would be aligned with the guidelines issued by the Commission on Audit (COA).
"Alam ninyo po kung sasabihin natin kung ano yung pinaggamitan ng intel fund (You know, if I divulge where the intel fund will be spent, it will not be intel fund anymore)," he said. "Pero (But) needless to say, although they are intel funds, mayroon pa rin pong proseso na dapat sundin sang-ayon na rin sa mga guidelines na ini-issue ng COA (there are still processes to be followed and are aligned with the guidelines issued by COA).”
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1115492
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