PHL UNDER SHACKLES OF P9-T DEBT

Lacson vows to scrutinize proposed intel funds for Office of the President

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Friday said he would ask the Office of the President on how its intelligence fund is being used, as he described the funding "still a bit too much" for the item under the proposed national budget for 2021.

"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 said in an interview on ANC.

Based on the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2021, P4.5 billion was earmarked for confidential and intelligence expenses under the Office of the President—the same amount that was allocated under the 2020 General Appropriations Act.

"'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?" Lacson said.

"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.

Lacson said the confidential and intelligence funds under the Office of the President started at around P700 million pesos in past administrations but have evolved into multi-billion pesos.

Defending the Duterte administration's bigger budget for confidential and intelligence funds under the Office of the President last year, then presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the government “has to have resources to determine the threats against the state.”

Lacson said he wants to carefully study the proposed budget for next year as he underscored that the country's debt stands at about P9.16 trillion and due prudence must be exercised when it comes to crafting it, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Where will this bring us, the next generation of Filipinos? A nation of baon sa utang? I don’t question borrowing. Pero dapat kaya tayo hihiram, mag-i-invest tayo for the future. But if we keep borrowing and we are not investing, palubog tayo niyan," he added. —LBG, GMA News