Estrada willing to realign budget for AFP needs

President Estrada ordered his economic advisers recently to look for other sources of funds from this year's national budget and re-align it to the needs of the peace and order campaign in Mindanao.

Mr. Estrada's directive was issued on Thursday, when he met with members of the Economic Coordinating Council (ECC), Finance Secretary Jose Pardo said.

The ECC, he said, immediately formed a group to look for funds that would sustain the military's "emergency" and "unexpected" requirements in Mindanao.

Pardo said that he and Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Economic Planning Secretary Felipe Medalla and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Rafael Buenaventura are among the members of that group scouring for a war budget.

Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado was the one who actually requested the Chief Executive for more funds because the AFP's P53.6 billion budget is already being depleted due to the armed conflict. Mercado and AFP chief Gen. Angelo Reyes also asked for an additional P800 million from lawmakers to recruit at least 30,000 militiamen.

While Mr. Estrada's economic team tried to raise money for the AFP, lawmakers asked Malacañang to submit a supplemental budget to fund relief, rescue and rehabilitation efforts in Mindanao.

Rep. Ralph Recto (LAMP, Batangas) said the Palace should submit a bill to increase the calamity fund by at least P1.5 billion.

He noted that this is the first time that the calamity fund, which was pegged at P998 million, dipped below the P1-billion mark. In 1998, the fund was P1.5 billion.

The fund for this year, he said, may not be enough to respond to damage to be caused by at least 20 typhoons expected to visit the country.

"The disaster caused by the man-made calamity that is the Abu Sayyaf complicates the matter," Recto said.

He said the plight of some 300,000 refugees in Mindanao needs attention.

"They flee their homes for fear that they will be caught in the crossfire only to realize that they are entering a killing zone in evacuation centers, where diseases await them," the solon said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ernesto Herrera (Lakas, Bohol) dared critics of the military to present alternatives to solve the crisis in Mindanao.

"Calling for a stop to the military operations in the South is not enough," he said. "We all want to have peace, but not peace at any price -- certainly not peace at a price of giving in to secessionist rebels or deluded terrorists and barbarians," he said.

Herrera said it is saddening to note that the AFP was made to look like an aggressor in the current conflict, "when in fact it was only doing its constitutional duty to strengthen the country's sovereignty and defend citizens from kidnappers and brigands."