Senator Panfilo Lacson said it was “an unnecessary amount” on Friday and that he planned to review the intelligence funds in the Office of the President’s proposed 2021 budget.
Lacson said he would like to ask how and why the President’s Office invested the previous years on its intelligence funds.
Lacson said, according to the projected national 2021 P4.5 trillion budget, that it was a little less than the P4.5 billion which was allocated under the Office of the President for this year.
The Chairman of the National Defense Department, the Philippine National Police, the National Security Agency, the Customs Office and the Office of Internal Revenue, says Lacson, will verify the release of the intelligence funds.
Lacson further stated that the President’s office still collects funds from “billions of pesos each year” from the Phillips Charity Sweepstake Bureau and the Philippine Fun and Gaming Company.
The President’s Office demanded P8.23 billion for next year, which is less than P8.25, by 2020, under the revised expenditure plan for next year.
From that figure, the Confidential Fund will receive P 2.25 billion while the Intelligence Fund will receive another P2.25 billion.