THE PHILIPPINE National Police strictly follows the rules and regulations of the Commission on Audit (COA) on the utilization of anti-insurgency funds from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), PNP deputy chief for administration Lt. Gen. Joselito Vera Cruz said on Monday.
Vera Cruz made this clarification after the COA flagged the PNP over its supposed low disbursement of some PHP723 million after spending only PHP86.57 million of the budget for anti-insurgency programs in 2020.
He said the funds allotted for its anti-insurgency projects are intact and will be wisely used for the welfare of Filipinos residing in far-flung areas known to be infested with communist terrorists.
“(The) Unutilized ELCAC funds in 2020, uulitin ko lang po, wala po anomalya, irregularidad dahil ang pondo ng PHP723 million na release October 2020 hindi po kakayanin mahigit dalawang buwan magamit ang pondo dahil marami tayo sinusunod na rules and regulation (of) Commission on Audit (I will repeat, there is no anomaly, no irregularity because the PHP723 million funds was released October 2020, we cannot spend, use the funds for only two months because we follow the rules and regulations of COA),” Vera Cruz said during Monday’s episode of "Tagged: Debunking Lies by Telling the Truth” virtual press briefing.
In coordination with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), he said the PHP723 million is a “continuing appropriation” that will be spent up to December 2021.
“Ito ay continuing appropriation kaya ito up to December 2021 para gamitin ang pondo. Ito assured po ng ating Chief PNP (Gen. Guillermo Eleazar) walang single centavo na mawawala. Ito ay gagamitin ipatupad aming role sa NTF ELCAC (This is a continuing appropriation so it will be used up to December 2021. Our Chief PNP assured that no single centavo will be lost. It will be used to implement our role in NTF-ELCAC),” he said.
Vera Cruz said the PNP is grateful for being part of the armed component of NTF-ELCAC that was created under Executive Order No. 70 mandating a whole-of-nation approach against communist insurgency.
“Matatandaan niyo late 80s and early 90s kami pa ay mga tenyente, kami po ay may sinusunod na strategy special operations team clear consolidate and develop kaya lang yung mga panahon na yun matapos namin maclear ang isang barangay pagkatapos namin maka establish ng detachment to ensure the security for the residents pagdating po sa consolidation and development talaga naman walang maibigay na kaukulang pondo ang ating iba’t ibang ahensiya ng ating gobyerno upang masolusyunan ang mga problema ng mga residente na nanganganib sa barangay aming na clear at nakapag establish ng aming presence (Remember during the late 80s and early 90s when we were just Lieutenants, we followed a strategy special operations team -- clear, consolidate, and develop. Those were the times that after we cleared a barangay, after we established a detachment to ensure the security of the residents, but when it comes to consolidation and development, our various government agencies really cannot provide the corresponding funds to solve the problems of the residents who are in danger in the barangays that we cleared and established our presence),” Vera Cruz said.
With the creation of NTF-ELCAC, he said addressing the communist insurgency does not only involve armed component composed of the PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines but other government agencies that have been given respective roles in solving the decades of insurgency.
Eleazar emphasized the funds was just unused because it was only released in October 2020 and not due to negligence or anomaly(Christopher Lloyd Caliwan)
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