FILE –Senate President Vicente Sotto III bangs the gavel to formalize the approval of Senate Bill 1396 or the “Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act” on the third and final reading on Monday, October 5, 2020 (Joseph Vidal/ Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Saturday opposed the call to use the proposed P19.2 billion budget for the government’s anti-insurgency efforts to add more funds for the country’s calamity aid.
“Hindi papayag ang DBM [Department of Budget and Management] na galawin pa iyong budget ng Presidente. Siguro papayag kami na dagdagan ang calamity fund pero hindi doon kukuhanin [sa anti-insurgency fund]. Maraming pagkukuhanan, huwag na nila paginitan ang anti-insurgency sapagka’t mabigat iyon,” the Senate leadership told radio station DWIZ.
(The DBM will not allow realigning the President’s budget. We may allow the increase of the calamity fund but from fro the [anti-insurgency fund] There are other sources from which we can get budget, don’t criticize the anti-insurgency because it’s crucial.)
Sotto said this when asked if he was in favor of decreasing proposed budget of the anti-communist efforts and increasing the calamity funds.
Sotto also defended the funds allocated for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), saying it is used to give livelihood to prevent the public from joining communist rebel groups.
“Ito ang pinaka-issue na hindi pinaguusapan: Kapag nilinis mo ang isang area, nilinis mo ng insurgence ganoon ganoon na lang? Hindi. Kailangan lagyan mo ng livelihood, lagyan mo ng pagkakakitaan. Kung hindi, babalik at babalik sila,” Sotto said.
(This is the issue that people are not noticing: If you rid an area of insurgence, does it end there? No. You should give them livelihood, give them work. If not, they will be enticed by communists.)
“Kaya doon ang punta noon hindi sa sundalo ang punta noon. Huwag silang mag-alala,” he went on.
(That’s why the funds go to these initiatives but not to soldiers. Don’t worry.)
P5 or P6 billion more for 2021 calamity funds
Senator Sonny Angara on Saturday said the proposed calamity funds for 2021 should be at least P5 or P6 billion more than the funds allocated for calamity aid last year.
“Opo. Dapat talaga dagdagan ito so I think for 2021 the calamity fund will be about P5 or 6 billion pesos more than 2020 dahil iyong 2020 I think iyong total is P20 [billion] to 21 [billion],” Angara said in another interview over DWIZ when asked if calamity funds should be increased for 2021.
(Yes. We need to add more funds about P5 or P6 billion more than 2020 because in 2020, I think the total of the calamity fund is P20 billion to P21 billion.)
On Tuesday, opposition senators urged that the proposed budget for NTF-ELCAC, which has been under fire for reportedly linking progressive groups and lawmakers as enemies of the state, would be instead allocated for rehabilitation and aid for typhoon-hit communities.
About P16 billion of the P19 billion budget for 2021 for the anti-insurgency task group was earmarked for development of 800 barangays stripped of communist rebel influence.
The Senate recently started a probe into the alleged red-tagging activities of security officials.