Drilon deplores prioritizing funding vs insurgency and not for ‘ayuda’

SENATE Minority Leader Frank Drilon deplored the Duterte administration’s scrambling for funds for ‘ayuda’ but “quick to release” P16.3B anti-insurgency funds.

The opposition lawmaker lamented Sunday that while the government scrambles to source funds for the special amelioration program or “ayuda” when Metro Manila and other regions revert to an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) next week, the government had already released up to the last centavo of the P16.3 billion anti-insurgency funds, P4 billion of which went to Davao region.

Drilon deplored how the P16.3 billion could have been used instead for the much-needed ayuda that can put the food on the table of around 4.2 million Filipino families who experienced hunger during the pandemic.

Drilon said that a P4,000 per family, the fund, which was lodged under the heavily-criticized National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), can benefit four million Filipino families when Metro Manila and other regions revert to enhanced community quarantine from August 6 to 20 to control the surge in Covid-19 cases in the country.

“Nakakalungkot po na may pondo para sa anti-insurgency pero walang pondo para sa ayuda,” Drilon said last Sunday. [It is unfortunate that there is funding for anti-insurgency but no funding for aid.

Drilon said the government’s scrambling for funds can derail the distribution of the much-needed financial relief to poor Filipinos, which they would need when the country returns to ECQ.

The Senate chief fiscalizer pushed for the inclusion of the funding for special amelioration program in the 2021 national budget but it was not a priority of the government compared to anti-insurgency.

”Hindi po nakinig ang pamahalaan,” hesaid.[thegovernmentdidn’tlisten.]

“It is obvious that the government is giving priority to anti-insurgency over the need for ayuda and other health and social needs of our country necessary for us to move forward with our pandemic response,” the lawmaker emphasized.

Drilon cited the releases for Ntfelcac’s anti-insurgency program and said that the government had already dispensed to the last centavo the controversial anti-insurgency fund.

In a 4-month period, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released a total of P16.3 billion for NTF-ELCAC’S Barangay Development Program.

He noted that P3.3 billion was released last March, P7.68 billion last April, P2 billion last May and P3.41 billion last June.

And lest we forget, Drilon said, P4 billion was allocated to Davao. The lawmaker cited data from the DBM.

“Ngunit itong ayudang kailangangkailangan natin, wala tayong pera,” he said. [But we desperately need this aid; we don’t have money].”

Drilon said that what we see in the government today strengthens the call for a budget for ayuda in the 2022 national budget.

“We must provide for SAP [social amelioration program], not for antiinsurgency.iwouldliketoseethe2022 national budget to give priority to 4Ps, the [SAP] or ayuda, the health and education sectors,” Drilon stressed.

This as he vowed to oppose any budget for NTF-ELCAC for 2022, which is an election year. Secretary Eduardo Año recently said that they will propose P40 billion for NTFELCAC next year, double its present level of P19.2 billion.

Drilonalsosupportsanotherround of “cash sweep” in order to generate funds to assist Filipinos and businesses heavily-affected by the pandemic, most especially when the country reverts to ECQ again this month.