Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday, August 16 said he will push for an increase in the intelligence fund of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the proposed 2024 national budget to help the agency perform its mandate better in defending the country’s territorial waters. 

Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero (Senate PRIB Photo)

Escudero pointed out that the agency’s P10-million intelligence fund has not been increased since 2009.

“I will look into the fact if we can augment—not from the Capital Outlays, Personnel Services or from the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses—but from the intelligence and confidential budget already proposed by the DBM (Department of Budget and Management),” Escudero said in an interview on ANC’s Headstart.

The DBM has proposed a P4.3-billion worth of confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) under the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget for next year. 

Escudero said it is important to carve out from the current budget proposal of the Executive department in order to sustain other items and ensure the delivery of basic social services.

“Let’s not tinker with the budget for school buildings; or slash the funds for hospitals and social services just to augment the intelligence fund of the Coast Guard. It should still come from the intelligence and confidential funds the Executive branch is proposing,” he said in Filipino.

But if Congress fails to allocate additional intelligence fund for the PCG, the senator said the “President can actually augment it after the budget is passed.”

At the same time, Escudero also clarified that his proposal to allocate at least P100-million to fund the construction of permanent structures in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea would not be on top of the proposed budget for next year.

“This is not on top of the budget; we will just carve out from the existing proposed budget an amount to do this,” Escudero stressed.

The senator said he is thankful to Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri and other colleagues in the Senate who welcomed his proposal and expressed to support it in the budget deliberation.

“I will put it in the budget as a cover. Sen Jinggoy (Estrada) said it might not be enough and I said ‘I would have been happy with the P100-million but if you want to increase it, you have my blessing’,” he said.