SENATE Minority Floor Leader Juan Ponce Enrile questioned Monday the P250-million intelligence fund for the Office of the President (OP), saying President Benigno Aquino III is an "intelligence user," not an "intelligence gatherer."
"Why is the president have any intelligence fund when he is an intelligence user and not an intelligence gatherer?" Enrile asked during the Senate deliberation on the proposed P2.825-million 2016 OP budget.
"Why is there a need to spend P250 million for intelligence? And who in Malacañang is using this?" he asked further.
Senator Loren Legarda, Senate finance committee chair, explained the fund is allotted for the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), which is concurrently headed by the Executive Secretary.
She added the fund is also being used to support the operating unit of various government agencies like the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Enrile, however, said the PAOCTF does not need the proposed budget because it is no longer an operating unit.
He further said that that there is no need for the OP to support the PNP since it already has a huge budget.
"Would it not be better – for purposes of transparency and accountability – to transfer all of these intelligence funds to the lying units that are doing peace and order functions, rather than put it in the budget of the upper layer of government?," Enrile said.
Legarda said the President needs the intelligence fund because he has the full control of the intelligence agencies of government and has better perspective of security situation in the country.
"Considering the increasing threats in our country, in the region, and the world, perhaps, the President can be equipped with this PAOCTF under his turf that is utilized by the PNP," she said.
But Enrile, who is a former Minister of Defense, said Aquino does not have to bother doing an intelligence work and even does not have the capability or the capacity to interpret those because those are highly technical.
In the end, Enrile suggested removing the intelligence fund under the proposed 2016 budget of Aquino's office.
"To tell you the truth, I am not satisfied with the answer and at the proper time, I will slash this," the senator said.
Legarda said she was amenable to Enrile's proposal. (Sunnex)