More funds, better peace and order

CEBU, Philippines - City Police Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe said additional funds for intelligence and anti-drugs campaign will help improve the city’s peace and order situation.

“Kon duna ta’y budget daghan kita og mahimo. Mahimo nga magkuha kita og informer didto sa Mindanao nga mo-report nato kon dunay mga criminal nga nagplano nga moanhi sa Cebu City,” Buenafe said.

Mayor Michael Rama is allocating P24 million for the city’s intelligence fund and another P12 million for anti-drugs campaign for 2012.

Should the City Council approve the proposed 2012 budget, which includes the budgets for the intelligence fund and anti-drugs campaign, this would mean that the city would have at least P2 million monthly for intelligence initiatives and P1 million for its anti-drugs drive.

Rama’s proposed P11.8 billion proposed annual budget is currently under review by the City Council’s are still being reviewed by the City Council’s committee on budget and finance committee.

“The issue about illegal drugs and should not be taken lightly,” Rama told reporters when asked why he raised the anti-drugs budget of P2 million to P12 million.

The procedure is that the total annual amount appropriated for intelligence or confidential undertakings shall not exceed 30 percent of the total amount allocated for peace and order efforts or three percent of the total annual appropriation, whichever is lower.

Buenafe explained that the funds appropriated for intelligence or confidential activities shall be used purposely for the conduct of intelligence or confidential operations like the purchase of information, giving of incentives to informers, or rental and other incidental expenses relative to the maintenance of safe houses and payment of incentives and traveling expenses relative to intelligence operations.

The spending of intelligence funds shall not be required to undergo strict audit procedures while the liquidation of the expenses shall be made only directly to the chairman of the Commission on Audit.

Some criticized the budget and said there are many loopholes in justifying the spending of the intelligence funds, but Buenafe said “in reality there was no expense at all.”

Then mayor and now Cebu City south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña was among those who criticized the budget.

“That’s one reason why Rama wants a bloated budget of billions even though this year’s P800 million budget deficit is a national record.”

In a separate development, Rama met City Hall’s department heads for at least two hours yesterday to discuss preparations for the upcoming holidays. His main instruction is for them to be “alert.”

Rama also asked the City Council to cooperate with the executive department in implementing the projects that have been lined up under the Executive-Legislative Agenda (ELA).    - (THE FREEMAN)