Drilon: Compel NTF-ELCAC to submit quarterly report on P19B budget to Senate

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Friday said he will ask the chamber’s leadership to compel the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to submit its quarterly report on the P19 billion anti-insurgency fund under the 2021 national budget.

Drilon noted that the NTF-ELCAC is required to submit a report on these funds to both houses of Congress in accordance to a provision under the 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

“I will request the Senate leadership to require NTC-ELCAC to submit the quarterly report,” the minority chief said in a One News interview.

Drilon cited the provision under the 2021 GAA which provides that “the implementing agencies and NTF-ELCAC shall submit to the Office of the President, [Department of Budget and Management], House of Representatives and the Senate, either in printed form or by way of electronic document, quarterly reports on the utilization of funds and physical accomplishments.”

He reiterated that these funds can be used for politics and probably in the upcoming 2022 elections.

Furthermore, Drilon renewed his call to repurpose the anti-insurgency funds to beef up the government resources for its COVID-19 response.

Although Congress cannot defund the NTF-ELCAC under the current budget, he reiterated that President Rodrigo Duterte has full authority to realign these funds for COVID-19 vaccination program and aid for the poor.

“Insofar as the funding is concerned, the defunding cannot happen now. It can be defunded when we craft the 2022 budget. However, the President has the full authority to realign the funds. In fact, the present GAA includes as among the projects that fund would be COVID-19 vaccination,” Drilon said.

“There is authority under the law to use these funds for vaccinations and for indigent individuals. If the President is minded to, he has the full authority under the law to realign these funds from 822 so-called cleared barangays to the much needed and urgent ayuda to residents affected in the NCR Plus areas,” he added.

On Thursday, at least six senators have called for the defunding of the task force after some NTF-ELCAC officials red-tagged the organizers of community pantries.

However, Senate President Vicente Sotto III opposed the proposals of his colleagues. Instead, he suggested to replace the officials who released “irresponsible statements.”

For 2021, the NTF-ELCAC was allocated with P19 billion budget and of which, P16.4 billion will proceed to its Barangay Development Program.

Under the said program, 822 barangays that were cleared of insurgency will receive P20 million each for projects such as livelihood program, school building, construction of roads, among others.

Senator Nancy Binay likewise called for a review of the utilization of the P19 billion budget for NTF-ELCAC.

“I guess it is high time for us to review na baka mayroon doon sa P20 million na allocation, na hindi na talaga kumbaga yung importance or need (there may be projects under the P20 million allocation that is not that important),” Binay said in an interview with ANC.

She cited funds for school building as an example of allocations that can be realigned as she emphasized that the face-to-face learning modality is not being conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“May mga ganoong allocation sa P20 million that we can already use at the moment. Para sa akin aanhin mo 'yung kalsada, 'yung eskuwelahan, kung nagugutom naman ang ating mga kababayan (There are those kinds of allocations under the P20 million that we can already use at the moment.  The roads and schools are useless while our countrymen are experiencing hunger). For me, what is needed right now is for us to feed our people,” she explained.—AOL, GMA News