BY GENALYN KABILING
President Duterte is asking for a P8.23-billion budget for his office in 2021, that includes P4.4 billion for confidential and intelligence expenses.
The proposed budget allocation of the Office of the President (OP) is slightly lower than the P8.25-billion budget approved by Congress this year.
The Department of Budget and Management recently submitted to Congress the proposed P4.506 trillion national budget for 2021 that aims to boost the government’s pandemic response and economic recovery efforts. The budget proposal, with the theme “Reset, Rebound, and Recover: Investing for Resiliency and Sustainability,” is 9.9 percent higher than the 2020 national budget.
Based on the 2021 budget proposal, OP has requested for P2.25 billion for confidential funds and another P2.25 billion for intelligence funds. It is the same budget amount OP received for 2020.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque defended the President’s allocation for confidential expenses, saying he actually spent a portion of these funds for COVID-related programs. He assured that budget expenses would still be subject to audit. (Genalyn Kabiling)
