PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte needs funds for the effective implementation of his pet campaign against illegal drugs to fulfill his goal to achieve a narcotics-free nation, Malacañang said on Thursday, November 30.
In a phone patch interview with Palace reporters, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said there would be an “adverse effect” if the government does not allocate a budget for the President’s war on illegal drugs.
“Well obviously, the President needs to fund his pet undertakings and the drug war is one of his undertakings. And it will have of course an adverse effect, if he does not have the funding to implement this war on drugs,” Roque said.
The Philippine National Police’s (PNP) proposed P1.4-billion budget in 2018 to fight illegal drugs has been realigned to state forces’ housing program and acquisition of body cameras.
Under the proposed P3.767-trillion national budget for next year, around P900 million and P500 million were initially allocated for the implementation of PNP’s Oplan Double Barrel and Masa Masid programs, respectively.
The Senate, in its version of the proposed 2018 budget, transferred P1.35 billion of PNP’s P1.4-billion budget for the drug war to the policemen and soldiers’ housing program while the remaining P50 million was allocated for the procurement of body cameras of police officers.
Senate finance committee chairperson Loren Legarda explained that the PNP’s budget on campaign against illegal drugs was cut since the President already transferred the lead role to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in conducting anti-drug operations across the country.
It could be recalled that Duterte ordered on October 10 that the PNP will only maintain police visibility as the PDEA solely addresses the rampant narcotics trade.
But on November 22, the President said he would eventually allow the PNP to once again conduct operations against drug personalities.
“Shabu is really an organized crime. But as of now, just to parry, I tasked PDEA (as sole agency to address the drug problem),” Duterte said in a speech delivered in Nueva Ecija.
Despite the realignment of budget for drug war, Roque was still optimistic that the PNP’s opinion would be taken into consideration when the Senate and the House of Representatives convene the bicameral conference committee to reconcile the differences in their respective versions of the proposed 2018 national budget.
“That’s not final yet. That’s subject to bicameral conference and I’m sure the PNP will be asked for its opinion about this development because the Senate has just approved it a day before yesterday,” Roque said. (SunStar Philippines)