Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Sunday, August 27 said he has no qualms supporting the proposal to allocate P100-million in next year’s budget to fund the construction of permanent structures in Ayungin Shoal.
But Angara said he sees the need to ask the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) first of the possible repercussions if the government appropriates such funds for the creation of such structures that would serve as “lodging” for soldiers and fishermen stationed in the area.
Angara has been leading the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) discussions on the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024 in the Senate since last week.
But while he is open to the idea, the Senate Finance Committee chief said it is imperative to know if allocating funds for the construction of permanent edifices in the area would harm the country’s bilateral relations with neighboring countries.
“Yung ay nabanggit ni Sen. (Francis) Escudero, magandang ideya po yun. Siguro, kailangan lang i-clear yun sa DFA at sa AFP kasi foreign affairs yun so maaring i-clear natin yun kung talagang makabubuti ito o makakasama sa relasyon natin sa ibang mga bansa at ano yung risk sa gagawa ng ganun (That was mentioned by Sen. (Francis) Escudero, that's a good idea. Maybe, it just needs to be cleared with the DFA and the AFP because it is related to foreign affairs, so we can clear it if it will really improve or harm our relations with other countries and what is the risk of doing that),” Angara said in an interview on Radio DZBB.
“Pero sa akin, kung ako ang tatanungin, mukhang magandang ideya po yun (But for me, if you would ask me, that’s a good idea),” the senator said.
Escudero raised the proposal following the Chinese Coast Guard’s recent efforts to block the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel that were bringing supplies to the soldiers in the BRP Sierra Madre that is stationed in Ayungin Shoal, attacking them with a water cannon.
Escudero claimed the proposal was “not designed to anger China” or bring the Philippines closer to the brink of war, but to give President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. the flexibility to act as the chief architect of the country’s foreign policy as he deems fit.
Under the budget rules, the former finance committee head, said the Chief Executive can augment any item under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Nevertheless, Angara said increasing the P10-million confidential and intelligence fund (CIF) of the PCG is also feasible under the 2024 budget.
Angara is vouching that Sen. Grace Poe, who will defend the budgets of the PCG, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and other attached agencies, will be able to pursue a higher budget for the country’s coast guard.
“Opo (pwedeng taasan). Ang Coast Guard po, sa ilaim po ng DOTr. Ang namumuno naman po d’yan si vice chair Sen. Grace Poe, DOTr and attached agencies (Yes, that can be increased. The Coast Guard, is under the DOTr. Sen. Grace Poe is the vice chair of the finance panel and will hear the DOTr’s budget and other attached agencies),” the lawmaker said.
“Puwedeng ilabas nila sa hearing at usually, humihingi kami ng listahan sa mga ahensya kung meron pa silang hinihiling na dagdag. So kung isama nila doon, yun ay maaaring bigyan ng konsiderasyon, depende po sa pasya ng ating mga kasama sa Senado pagdating po ng period of amendments (They can raise that during the hearings and usually, we ask the agencies to provide us a list of their requests if they have other requests. So if they include it in that list, we can give consideration but that depends on the decision of our colleagues of the Senate during the period of amendments),” he explained.
It was opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros who earlier pressed members of the Senate to increase the “measly” P10-million intelligence fund proposed by the PCG under the 2024 national budget, saying such budget is not enough to help them fend off China’s repeated incursions in the West Philippine Sea.
Hontiveros, however, could not give a specific amount that should be given to the PCG, saying it is important for the Senate to hold more dialogues with the agency to come up with a “respectable budget” that could help them deter China’s aggression.