De Lima awed by President’s P4.5-B intel fund

Lawmakers who approved at breakneck speed President Duterte’s proposed P4.5 billion in presidential intelligence funds for 2020 may be held liable for neglect of duty, detained Sen. Leila de Lima on Tuesday said.

In her latest handwritten dispatch, De Lima wondered why the President needed a huge amount for intelligence gathering, which was nearly double the combined budget of the Department of National Defense and the Philippine National Police next year for the same purpose.

“[W]hy does Mr. Duterte need a gigantic amount of [intelligence] funds and why the House … and the Senate subcommittee allowed the approval of this budget without a thorough vetting or due diligence?” De Lima asked. —Marlon Ramos