Sotto: Palace would surely veto realignment of anti-insurgency funds under 2021 budget

Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday said he sees trouble if Congress would interfere with the anti-insurgency efforts of the administration by realigning its multi-billion budget under the general appropriations bill.

Sotto's warning came amid calls of some minority senators to realign the P16.4-billion National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) fund to calamity funds and COVID-19 vaccines.

"That is a big no-no, as far as we are concerned and as far as the Palace is concerned. I assure you, if you ask [Budget] Secretary [Wendel] Avisado, [Finance] Secretary [Carlos] Dominguez and the President, I don't think  they will allow that," he said in an online interview.

"Pag ginalaw namin 'yun, I am sure ibe-veto. It's part of the legacy of the administration eh, that once and for all, 'yung mga barangay na dating nasasakupan ng mga NPA at saka ng mga insurgent ay malinis na at huwag na makabalik," he added. "I assure you, if we touch that, that will be vetoed."

The NTF-ELCAC budget is prone to be abused to advance some political interests in the upcoming 2022 elections, Senate Minority Franklin Drilon previously warned.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, on the other hand, assuaged such fears by pointing out that the development programs to be funded by this allocation will only cover 822 cleared barangays out of the total 42,000 barangays in the country.

Sotto said he is for the augmentation of the calamity funds and budget for COVID-19 response in 2021 but it should not be sourced from the anti-insurgency fund.

He believes realignments may come from "anomalous" allocations in other government agencies.

The period of amendments for the budget bill will take place on Thursday, November 26, and the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget is expected to be approved on second and third reading in the Senate on the same day.—AOL, GMA News