The Senate finance committee on Thursday approved the more than P195-billion proposed 2018 budget for the Department of National Defense.
Opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, however, has proposed that the P500 million from the police anti-drug “Oplan Double Barrel” realigned to augment the military’s intelligence funds.
Trillanes’ proposal came after the senators who deliberated the DND budget noted that the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ intelligence fund had been increased by only P220 million next year, for a total of P1.58 billion.
Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said they had asked for a P280-million increase in the AFP’s intelligence fund but the Department of Budget and Management did not grant the full amount.
Some senators, including Trillanes and Panfilo Lacson, who sponsored the DND budget, noted that this might not be enough given the threats posed by terrorism, such as in Marawi, and other issues of national security including the West Philippine Sea.