Palace justifies need for P600-M intel funds

Malacañang on Friday defended the P600 million intelligence funds being sought by the Office of the President in the 2012 proposed national budget. At a press briefing, deputy presidential adviser Abigail Valte said the Department of Budget and Management has already rationalized the allocation for each department and agency. "Pag dating sa intelligence funds, nirationalize na natin kasi ang paggamit noon. Yung mga ahensiya dati na meron na halatang hindi kailangan ay tinanggalan natin ng intelligence funds so nirationalize na natin yung paggamit," she said. During a budget hearing at the House of Representatives on Thursday, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said the P600-million intelligence funds will be used to fight organized and transnational crimes. The amount is P200 million more than the present allocation. The intelligence funds will primarily go to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC), and the Anti-Terrorism Council, Ochoa said. Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino, however, said the Office of the President's intelligence funds are "too high" and should instead be place on allocations for public hospitals and state colleges and universities. Valte said social services get the biggest allocation in the 2012 proposed budget. "Kung titignan natin yung sinubmit ng Palasyo na 2010 proposed budget, pinakamalaki na po dun ang allotment for social services. Makakasiguro sila na malaki din pong bahagi ng ating budget ang magagastos para sa social services," she said. The Palace has allocated P573.5 billion for social services - basic education, public health, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino (PPP) Program - equivalent to 31.6 percent of the proposed budget. This is a 10-percent increase from the item’s current allocation of P521.4 billion. Asked if Malacañang will give in to the request to realign the intelligence funds, Valte insisted that the DBM studied the budget proposal very well before submitting it to the Congress. "Yung budget natin hindi po yan biglaang ginawa, masusi ang paghahanda. We still employ the zero based budgeting approach so tinitignan natin kung ano ang dapat pagkagastusan at kung magkano ang dapat gastusin," she said. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News