Air Force, PSG biggest recipients of DAP fund released to DND
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Air Force and the Presidential Security Group were the biggest recipients of the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program fund released by the Department of Budget and Management to the Department of National Defense in 2011.
“The DAP fund was released to the DND for the different programs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly for the procurement of equipment and spare parts, on-base housing, and repair, renovation and rehabilitation of different facilities,” the DND said in a statement Tuesday.
The Air Force received a total of P397.3 million from the P665.6 million released to the defense department by the DBM in 2011, it also said.
“This amount was used for on-base housing facilities, procurement of communication equipment and the implementation of the PAF’s various projects,” it added .
The projects include allocation of resources for search and rescue requirements, base facilities and equipment, and the repair, renovation and rehabilitation of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) facilities in Lipa, Batangas.
The AETC is the principal training institution of the PAF and is responsible for the education of soldiers, officers, and pilots of the Air Force.
The PSG, the unit tasked to guard President Benigno Aquino III, was the second biggest recipient with P248.3 million.
“Included in the said project are the laying-out of the necessary backbone for the communications systems to be used, the repair of buildings and barracks,” the DND said.
It added that the project involved the installation of Closed Circuit Television, or CCTV, equipment at the Malacañang complex, and the upgrade of the PSG’s communications equipment from analogue to digital with a secured encryption capability.
The communication enhancement project of the PSG was approved and funded by the DBM in 2011. The PSG project commenced in January 2012.
