Lacson says he will keep an eye on reports of police 'census'

Senator Panfilo Lacson said Saturday he cannot just disregard the “pattern” of reports on the supposed use of anti-insurgency funds for an “illegal” census conducted by some police officials in various localities across the country.

In a tweet posted Saturday, Lacson -- sponsor of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict’s (NTF-ELCAC) annual budget -- said the denial from the Philippine National Police should put a stop to the reported survey, which he earlier said was ordered by a Police general.

“The PNP’s denial should put a stop to the illegal data gathering activities on 30% of the country’s local population,” added Lacson, a former PNP chief.

“As the Senate’s principal sponsor of the NTF-ELCAC budget, I cannot simply disregard a pattern of such reports coming from their own field commanders,” he said.

At a virtual press conference Friday, PNP chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar denied claims that a part of the NTF-ELCAC budget has been used by some police officials to conduct census in various barangays across the country.

"The PNP is not conducting or instructing our chiefs of police to ask 30% of barangay residents to give their names, contact numbers and addresses for census. We have no use for any census," Eleazar said.

Likewise, he said that the PNP will welcome any investigation on the matter.

In a television interview last Thursday, Lacson said he received reports on a police general who supposedly instructed his subordinates to conduct a census in different barangays using the government’s anti-insurgency funds, adding that the activity might be election-related.

Lacson said that he will join Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon’s call to scrap the reported P40-billion proposed appropriations for the NTF-ELCAC under the 2022 National Expenditures Program if there was “clear misuse” of funds.

He will also request the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct a motu propio investigation.

Under the 2021 national budget, the 822 “cleared” barangays were allocated with P16.4 billion under the NTF-ELCAC’s Barangay Development Program.

Drilon had warned that NTF-ELCAC funds might be used “in aid of election.”

The opposition senator had said it is obvious that the barangay development program was “disguised” as anti-insurgency measure but was really “meant to help boost the chances of the administration candidates for next year’s election.”

He said these barangays are being used, early on, for “partisan politics.” —LBG, GMA News