Palace: P28-B anti-insurgency task force fund necessary even amid pandemic

Malacañang on Tuesday justified the P28 billion funding for the government's anti-insurgency task force amid the COVID-19 pandemic, saying insurgency needs to be addressed even during the current crisis.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque was responding to the criticisms of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon that the government should cut on "wasteful expenses" such as the P28 billion funding for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and instead, focus on investing in COVID-19 responses.

"Even amid the pandemic, hunger remains which is a reason to take up arms against the government. We need to create more jobs for the poor people because otherwise, they will become rebels," Roque said.

"This budget is in accordance with our target to have more development, livelihood projects to stir economic growth," he added.

Roque said that while the budget is under the said task force, the implementing agencies will remain with the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, local government units, among others.

"The funding will just come from the task force," Roque said.

Drilon earlier said that such task force funding is better spent on cash aid for low-income families whose incomes were affected by the quarantine restrictions implemented in the pandemic.

"We can remove this item or channel the funds to ayuda. Given our limited resources, we must prioritize ayuda over NTF-ELCAC. We must cut funding for the security sector in favor of the social services sector," Drilon said in a statement. — Llanesca T. Panti/RSJ, GMA News