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Friday, March 29, 2024

Du30 war chest vs narcs raised

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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is seeking a 400-percent increase in confidential and intelligence funds under the Office of the President to fund his anti-narcotics war, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Wednesday.

“This is going to be used in his fight against illegal drugs and criminality,” Diokno said.

“President Duterte has shown he has political will. He’s going after drug users, drug pushers. I think it’s worth it,” Diokno added.

In the proposed budget submitted to Congress, the Office of the President has asked for P2.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds, up from this year’s P500-million budget.

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Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman cautioned Congress against approving the OP budget, citing the rise in vigilante killings of suspected drug pushers.

President Rodrigo Duterte

“The inordinate 400-percent increase in the President’s confidential and intelligence funds… is alarming in the face of extrajudicial and shortcut procedures employed by the present administration in pursuing its announced priorities,” Lagman said.

Lagman said the fund would be subject to abuse, since there is no paper trail nor verifiable accounts for confidential or intelligence operations.

“Due to the suspect nature of confidential and intelligence funds, the Executive must be judicious or prudent in proposing huge appropriations for these expense items,” the lawmaker said.

Diokno, however, allayed concerns that funds could be misused.

“He [Duterte] uses this to buy information, for example,” Diokno said.

“Let me say that this is subject for review by the Commission on Audit, both funds. I don’t mind giving him bigger budget for intelligence and confidential [operations] because he’s showing results,” the budget chief added.

Duterte on Wednesday denied employing double standards in his war against the drugs.

“Just because you are poor, you are excused from apprehension? Rich or poor, I do not give a shit,” Duterte said in a press briefing at Taytay, Rizal. 

“Stop the nonsense about the poor and the rich,” he said, noting that many who are poor get lured into the illegal drug trade, while the rich are less likely to be involved in the business.

“There’s nobody who distribute drugs at Forbes Park, only cocaine and heroine, but not as destructive as shabu, which destroys the mind,” the President said. 

Duterte, who visited a wake of a slain policeman, also promised to include families of slain policemen in the government’s dole program “to alleviate their grief.”

“I’m losing two policemen a day on the average, these policemen were killed in the performance of their duty, I go out of my way to visit and give them a smart salute for the service of the country,” Duterte said. 

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia on Tuesday said the drug war was a “necessary evil” to restore peace and order and encourage more investments.

The confidential funds would be used to tap civilian informants while intelligence funds would be used when deploying security forces.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, meanwhile, said his department has gathered evidence and witnesses who can pin down former Justice secretary and now Senator Leila de Lima and former Justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan III for their alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison.

Aguirre said they will present the evidence and witnesses against De Lima and Baraan when the House of Representatives starts its inquiry into the proliferation of illegal drugs trade in the national penitentiary.

“Yes, just wait for the House investigation where we will present our witnesses. This will be the House investigation on the proliferation of prohibited drugs at the NBP,” Aguirre said, when interviewed by reporters on the sidelines of the European Union-Philippines Justice Support Program at Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas where he was a guest.

Aguirre said they have now several sworn statements executed by individuals against De Lima and Baraan, hinting that “it all involves the cause of the proliferation and the neglect that they did, why the prohibited drugs proliferated at the NBP.”

“Insofar as the DoJ is concerned, we have at least five or six sworn statements,” Aguirre said.

Without giving details, Aguirre said one of their witnesses also linked De Lima’s driver and alleged lover Ronnie Palisoc Dayan to the illegal drug operations inside the national penitentiary, adding that the driver collected drug money from high-profile drug lords detained there.

Asked if De Lima had sent Dayan, Aguirre said nobody believed the driver would act alone.

The DoJ chief also admitted that a bagman of a high-profile drug lord inside the NBP is one of the government’s witness against De Lima.

De Lima has admitted her close ties with Dayan but denied allegations that he collected drug money for her.

But Baraan denied the allegations against him and expressed his readiness to prove his innocence in a formal proceeding.

Duterte earlier said Baraan’s name appeared in a matrix that showed links between high-ranking officials and drug lords.

Baraan

“I respect our President, but I am powerless before him. All I ask is fairness and due process, a chance to vindicate myself in a formal proceeding. If a complaint will be filed, so then I will have the opportunity to present my side,” Baraan said in a statement.

“All I can say now is that this is something I totally cannot imagine myself being involved in; it contradicts the deepest Christian values I hold dear. I know myself, and in due time the truth will prevail,” he added.

He also denied having direct supervision over the operations of the Bureau of Corrections, particularly the NBP.

The BuCor, he said, was one of several agencies under his “limited administrative supervision.”

“As wrongly reported, I was not Usec in charge of the Bilibid. This is a total misconception,” he said.

Baraan recalled that as DoJ undersecretary he would only countersign BuCor contracts or documents endorsed and reviewed by the Technical Services before these were forwarded to the Office of the Justice Secretary for final signature.

“That takes just a few minutes. Then, for Bucor my task is done that day,” Baraan said.

On Wednesday, police arrested the alleged sidekick of Kerwin Espinosa, an alleged big-time drug lord in Central Visayas.

The suspect was identified as Roderick Palermo Espina, 54, who is said to be from Maasin, Southern Leyte.

In Cabanatuan City, Chief Supt. Aaron Aquino, Central Luzon police director, relieved the provincial chief of Aurora over supposed dismal performance in the fight against illegal drugs.

Removed from his post was Senior Supt. Danilo Florentino.

Aquino, who worked with President Duterte in Davao City for 22 years, said he relieved Florentino without reassignment Tuesday.

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