Duterte seeks P20 billion fund increase for AFP, PNP

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte is seeking a combined P20-billion increase in the funds of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) for next year.

The proposed national budget approved by the Chief Executive and submitted by the Department of Budget and Management to Congress last week seeks to increase the budget of AFP and PNP by P17 billion and P3 billion, respectively.

The 2021 National Expenditure Program (NEP), a copy of which was obtained by The STAR from the House appropriations committee, increased the fund of AFP from P186 billion this year to P203 billion next year.

The Philippine Army gets a P4.3-billion budget increase from P92.5 billion for 2020 to P96.8 billion next year, while the Philippine Air Force is allocated P29.8 billion for 2021 or about P3.4 billion increase from P26.4 billion from this year.

Also under the AFP, the Philippine Navy gets a P2.1-billion budget hike from P29 billion this year to P31 billion this year, while General Headquarters and support units were given P45.4 billion for next year, an increase of P7.4 billion from P38 billion this year.

In total, the Department of National Defense will get P209.1 billion in 2021 under the NEP, or an increase of almost P30 billion from its P179.7-billion budget for this year.

On the other hand, the NEP has set the PNP budget for 2021 at P190.85 billion or an increase of P3.25 billion from P187.6 billion this year.

The House had increased the budgets of the AFP and PNP for 2020 by P2 billion to modernize their facilities.

During budget deliberations last year, the chamber realigned funds and added P1 billion each to the appropriations of the AFP and the PNP for their camp development funds.

The amount was taken from the P5.7-billion budget of the Commission on Elections for next year’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls set to be postponed, and the P3.7-billion funding of the Department of Public Works and Highways for deferred road right-of-way projects.

The modernization of the AFP and PNP is among the priority programs of the administration of President Duterte.

New rides

The PNP yesterday acquired P64.55 million worth of light transport vehicles for its units performing administrative functions.

PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa yesterday witnessed the blessing of the vehicles at Camp Crame. The purchase was bankrolled by appropriations from the Capability Enhancement Program of 2020.

“These vehicles are essential to our operations as we continue to enforce and strengthen the anti-criminality measures across the nation,” Gamboa said in a speech.

The mobility assets will be distributed to the PNP’s Command Group, National Support Units, Office of the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, and the Peace Process and Development Center.

The PNP’s two training institutions, the Philippine National Police Academy and National Police Training Institute, as well as its Directorate for Integrated Police Operations offices, will also have new vehicles.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Audit (COA) called out the PNP concerning funds transferred to the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) in 2016 amounting to P1.347 billion, stating it has only delivered a total of P311.068 million worth of equipment in 2019, leaving P1.036 billion still undelivered after more than three years.

Records showed that the PNP has advanced a total of P1,347,616,452.90 to PITC from March to April of 2016 for the procurement of mobility, firearms and other equipment. Of the total amounts transferred, only P311,067,924.90 worth of equipment was delivered during 2019. – Rhodina Villanueva, Emmanuel Tupas