Press Release
November 12, 2021

13 million activities in a year, 43,333 per day and 1,805 activities per hour? Drilon finds unbelievable PNP utilization of NTF-ELCAC funds
'Has PNP become a 'super body' or 'superman'? It's a mystery to me how they were able to do it,' Drilon says

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon urged newly-appointed chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Lt. Gen. Dionardo Carlos, to review the PNP's use of its anti-insurgency funds following allegations of misuse.

Drilon challenged the incoming PNP chief as he found it unbelievable and suspicious that the PNP conducted about 13 million different activities in less than a year, averaging to about 43,333 activities in a day, using its over P1 billion allocation from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or NTF-ELCAC.

"That's 1,805 activities per hour! Has PNP become a 'super body' or 'superman'? It is a mystery to me how they were able to do it," Drilon said in a statement Friday.

During the Senate's deliberation on the budget of the PNP Thursday, Drilon questioned the utilization of the NTF-ELCAC funds. The Commission on Audit had previously called out several government agencies for irregularities in the use of NTF-ELCAC funds, he also cited.

The PNP has P1.084 billion in 2021 for anti-insurgency programs and it is seeking the same amount for next year. Out of the P1.084 billion, P766.2 million has been obligated.

But when the minority leader asked for the specific programs, Senator Sonny Angara said, citing PNP data, the police force has spent P766 million since the start of the year for the conduct of about 13 million different anti-communism activities by its 12 clusters.

Drilon said it is hard to believe that 13 million activities could be done by a single agency in a matter of less than a year.

"Dalawampu't apat na taon na po ako sa Senado, ngayon ko lang narinig ang report na mayroong ginastusan na 13 million activities in a span of one year or less than one year," Drilon said.

"We computed that, and it turns out that for the past 10 months, assuming 13 million activities, that would be 43,333 activities per day, which on its surface is immediately difficult to believe," Drilon said in disbelief.

"Now no wonder the COA has flagged the way the budget is being disbursed," he added.

Drilon said the COA "Audit of the budget and utilization of NTF-ELCAC funds revealed several deficiencies."

For instance, the COA found other deficiencies in DILG's funds for NTF-ELCAC worth P1.23 million, including expenses in projects that were not aligned with the original setup. It also flagged P1.06 million worth of payables with incomplete documents, Drilon cited. The COA had also noted that DILG's unliquidated funds were 73% more than the initial allocation to NTF-ELCAC's activities and the modifications in the budget were not supported by proper documentation.

Aside from the COA report on the NTF-ELCAC funds, Drilon also recalled a recent deliberation on the NTF-ELCAC funds, specifically about a P400 million of the P460 NTF-ELCAC funds allocated to Davao del Norte were given to Panabo City alone but the local officials in the province were claiming there was no insurgency in the city.

The Senate chief fiscalizer asked the Senate Committee on Finance to take a closer look at the utilization of NTF-ELCAC funds not only in the PNP but in other agencies.

"May we request that this allocation be examined closely, and we will accept the explanation of the good sponsor," he added. "I would strongly suggest for the committee to take a look at this carefully. This is not small money. It is bigger than many of the budgets presented here."

"This NTF-ELCAC sticks like a store thumb. We find it everywhere," he added.

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