Duterte defends Palace budget

President Duterte, who is leading an intensified campaign to rid the country of illegal drugs, on Thursday defended the proposed increased allocation for his office for 2017 after it raised concern from members of Congress.

The President said the increased budget would be used for his “many fights,” and would be spent on security forces and efforts to gather necessary intelligence data for government programs.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the increase was alarming in the face of the administration’s employment of “extrajudicial and shortcut procedures” in pursuing its priorities.

The President would get a P2 billion confidential and intelligence fund, and a P5.5 billion contingency fund.

 For soldiers or police

“I have so many fights. And he can be very sure that that money will go to either the soldiers or to the police. I should have the budget to buy information. I’m fighting a crisis,” Mr. Duterte said in a late night press conference in Davao City on Wednesday.

He said none of the funds he was asking for would go to his own pocket. Those who have doubts could ask the people he had served when he was Davao City Mayor, and they could attest that the funds reach the people, he said.

Mr. Duterte also noted that the proposed 2017 budget would undergo scrutiny and approval in Congress.

“At the end, there should be no worry. It will come to a vote and I’m sure Congress would know,” he said.

“If you don’t want to give it to me, that’s okay. But, you take care of the problem,” he said.

He said the failure to resolve some problems in the country was due to failure to act on time, which could have been addressed if sufficient information was available.