SILG Remulla: Marcos ordered return of budget for PNP IT program

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has instructed the Department of Budget and Management to return the funds allotted for the Philippine National Police's IT program, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Tuesday.

Remulla said the funds would be allocated for the country's integrated 911 system.

''So, as instructed by the President sa ating Budget Secretary ay iri-revert ang budget ng IT at tatanggalin iyong additional 500 million pesos intelligence fund na nilagay sa GAA. So, return to original budget ng 820 million yata ang nasa PNP, naging 1.3 billion – ibabalik na naman sa dati siya,'' Remulla said at a Palace press briefing.

(As instructed by the President to our Budget Secretary, the budget for [PNP] IT [program] will be reverted and the additional P500 million intelligence fund placed in the General Appropriations Act will be allocated to this. So, the [intelligence fund] will return to the original budget of P820 million instead of P1.3 billion.)

''Iyong savings na iyon ay ilalagay natin sa launching and bidding out process ng integrated 911 system para sa buong Pilipinas. So, from intelligence fund to 911 ang gagawin natin doon. So, it will be a fully audited system na under scrutinous bidding,'' he added.

(That savings will be allocated for the launching and bidding out process of the integrated 911 system in the entire Philippines. So, from intelligence fund to 911. So, it will be a fully audited system that is under scrutinous bidding.)

Asked if this move will not circumvent the 2025 General Appropriations Act, Remulla cited Section 6 of Marcos' veto message saying, “In the exercise of the budget execution vested upon the executive branch, it is understood that in cases of appropriations and new budgetary items introduced by the Congress in the budget shall be subject to the national government’s cash programming, of service or prudent fiscal management, applicable budget execution rules and procedures and approval by the President based on the programs by priorities of the government.''

''So, therefore considering that such cases and appropriations and new budgetary items will be will have corresponding effects on the outputs and outcomes of the agencies concerned the DBM shall inform the said agencies of the changes in their respective appropriations and required the submission of their revised performance targets,'' Remulla said.

Remulla said the DBM would ''re-reprogram'' the budget as according to the President’s instructions.

In a Viber message, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman confirmed that the PNP has requested that its P500 million intelligence fund be relocated to the country's integrated 911 system after the President ordered Cabinet secretaries to review their respective 2025 GAA.

She explained priority programs can be budgeted if available allotments within the agency's budget can be declared as savings.

“The utilization of these funds will be subject to the rules on augmentation provided in Section 78,”  Pangandaman said.

“Second, the Contingent Fund may be tapped to cover the funding requirements of new or urgent activities or projects of NGAs, GOCCs, and LGUs that must be implemented or paid during the year, subject to the approval of the President. And Unprogrammed Appropriations pag may excess revenues,” she added.—with a report from Mariel Celine Serquina, RSJ/VDV/RDF, GMA Integrated News