Sen. Robin Padilla during one of the Senate’s plenary debates. Senate PRIB file photo / Voltaire F. Domingo
MANILA, Philippines — Confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) have helped the government in its crackdown against terrorism, Senator Robin Padilla said on Monday.
Padilla, who admitted he was a leftist, claimed that the government has successfully fought terrorists.
“Ngayon, ako po ay naliligayahan sapagkat gusto kong ibalita sa ating mga kababayan na sa ngayon po napaka-successful, napakamatagumpay ng ating gobyerno sa pakikipaglaban sa mga terorista,” the actor-turned-senator said during the plenary session.
(Now, I am happy because I want to tell the news to the public that the government has been successful in its fight against terrorists.)
“Katunayan, itong intelligence at confidential fund na ito ay nakatulong po para linisin ang mga liblib na lugar ng mga terorista, ang mga tinatawag nating nananakot, nangingikil, nandiyan po lahat ‘yan,” he continued.
(In fact, these intelligence and confidential funds have helped cleanse the far-flung areas of terrorists who spark fear and extort.)
Padilla expressed support for providing the proposed CIFs for the offices of the President and Vice President, which are P4.5 billion and P500 million, respectively.
Citing his documentary Memoirs of a Teenage Rebel, Padilla said that terrorists recruit students and bring them to the mountains.
He added that terrorist groups receive billions of pesos in funds from overseas.
“Papaano natin iyan lalabanan? Lalabanan po natin ‘yan kung meron din po tayong bilyon-bilyon na ibibigay natin sa intelligence and confidential fund,” said Padilla.
(How will we fight that? We can fight that if we have billions of confidential and intelligence funds.)
The neophyte lawmaker clarified that he is not against leftists but opposes violence.
“Tigilan na natin ang karahasan. Pwede naman po tayong lahat maging rebolusyonaryo, tunay na rebolusyonaryo pero walang karahasan. Huwag tayo maging paatras kundi maging paabante po tayo,” he pointed out.
(Let us stop the violence. Then, we can all be revolutionists, real revolutionists without violence. Let us not move backward, but forward.)
The Senate adopted a resolution forming an oversight panel for CIFs. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri chairs it.
Under the proposed P5.268-trillion national budget for next year, P9.2 billion are CIFs.