Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III voiced great worry about the priorities outlined by the Marcos administration in the planned P5.768-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) and questioned the government’s commitment to addressing the country’s pressing needs.
“The allocation of P9.2 billion to confidential and intelligence funds while our fellow Filipinos in calamity-stricken areas suffer raises serious questions about the government’s understanding of the real needs and challenges faced our country,” Pimentel said in a statement on Saturday.
Among the planned CIF allocations are P4.5 billion for the Office of the President, P500 million for the Office of the Vice President, and P1.7 billion for the Department of National Defense.
Given the devastation caused by recent typhoons as well as the potential impact of the El Nio phenomena, the Senate top fiscalizer stated that “every peso counts.”
“The recent typhoons that struck most of Central and Northern Luzon, like Bulacan, Pampanga, and Cagayan, leaving a trail of destruction and hardship,” Pimentel stated.
The Department of Agriculture estimated the damage caused by Typhoon Egay and the southwest monsoon, or habagat, to be roughly P1.9 billion, according to Pimentel.
Pimentel promised to review the proposed national budget for 2024.
