The President believes if we concentrate on prevention and rehabilitation we can reduce the demand for illegal drugs
There’s a lot of confusion and mudslinging in connection with the “Confidential and Intelligence Fund.”
Santa Banana, there’s a need for Congress, especially the House of Representatives, which holds the purse of the country as it were, to clarify what is CIF and how it should be accounted for.
The National Appropriation Act or the National Budget represents the hard-earned money of the people.
The public officials holding the CIF should be made accountable for every centavo given them.
The conundrum over the CIF has become controversial that Vice President Sara Duterte as Secretary of Education is now taking the heat.
First of all, what does “confidential funds” represent?
They are supposed to represent expenses for maintenance and other expenses for the office such public officials hold, and an agency’s surveillance-related activities.
Intelligence Funds refer to the gathering of information related to national security.
Confidential funds may be released upon the approval of the department secretary where such an agency belongs while intelligence funds need the President’s approval.
The big difference between the two funds is the need to gather information related to national security.
Thus, there’s need for the Armed Forces, the Department of National Defense, the National Intelligence Coordination Agency (NICA), the National Security Agency (NSA), the Philippine Navy, especially the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to have intelligence funds.
When local officials in the Local Government Units have the CIFs that’s where the problem lies.
And all those that use CIFs should be monitored by the Commission on Audit (COA).
The COA should monitor and make public officials accountable for any abuse or misuse of their CIFs .
Thus, Sara Duterte, as Mayor of Davao City from 2016 to 2022, used her CIF that ballooned from 2016 to 2022 which can raise questions where the problem lies.
As revealed, Santa Banana, Sara Duterte’s confidential funds can raise eyebrows.
As two of the richest cities nationwide, Makati City was allocated P240 million from 2001 and 2022 while Quezon City spent P100 million in 2021 and only P75 million in 2022.
Sara Duterte has been criticized and for seeking P500 million in confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President and P150 million for the Department of Education (DepEd) where she is concurrently secretary because both offices have no direct security mandates.
In comparison, the confidential fund of the AFP amounted to only P144 million yearly from 2020 to 2022; for the same years, the Philippine National Police’s was P868 million.
In this aspect, there’s need for Congress to redefine confidential and intelligence funds and allocate the national budget according to the needs of agencies.
It is for this reason that Senate President Migz Zubiri wants LGUs to be given CIFs according to their needs to avoid any abuse and misuse of the money of the people.
For example, the Philippine Coast Guard, the guardian of more than 7,100 islands of the Philippine Archipelago, got a measly P10 million yearly for the same years.
Santa Banana, Congress has a lot of things to do in setting straight the CIFs!
Drop in ratings
After the Publicus survey indicating a sharp decline of the sentiments of the people on both President Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, comes the Pulse Asia survey also showing a plunge in the approval and trust ratings of the two top leaders of the country, as compared to their previous ratings.
After enjoying an 80 percent approval rating, the third quarter ratings of BBM declined from 80 percent, it’s now 65 percent, declining by 15 percent, while Sara’s previous 84 percent slipped to 73 percent.
BBM and Sara were not the only ones who suffered drops in their approval and trust ratings.
The three other top leaders , Senate President Migz Zubiri, House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo also showed a decline.
This decline in approval and trust ratings is not uncommon at this time.
I am sure the Social Weather Stations will also show a similar decline.
With inflation and rising prices of almost everything also contributing to the decline in sentiment, there is also the continued tension seen by the Philippines and China at the West Philippine Sea over the disputed territories like Panatag and Spratlys.
But, in fairness to BBM, he is trying hard to overcome these declining sentiments.
Smuggling
The fact that several raids of customs in some warehouses in Batangas and Bulacan and even in Zamboanga of smuggled rice is a sure indication smuggling had given rise to the escalating prices of rice.
Smuggling also gives rise to hoarding and profiteering.
But I cannot understand why there has been no honest and real crackdown on the smuggling cartel that has been smuggling not only rice, but sugar, fish, meat and even vegetables into the country, a cartel which is reportedly working like a Mafia-led organization led by Chinese with tentacles all over the country.
These smugglers are well-known also by farmers’ organizations.
To show his zero-tolerance on smuggling and corruption, BBM had signed a law classifying smuggling as economic sabotage.
Smuggled goods have been found in warehouses in Batangas, Bulacan and even in Zamboanga, but strangely the owners of these warehouses have not been charged. Why not?
What is really worrisome about smuggling is the reported entry of that P3.6 billion worth of shabu, the biggest catch yet under the Marcos administration that entered the Port of Subic.
Santa Banana, if that kind of seizure of illegal drugs managed to enter Subic, we can only imagine what else could have been smuggled through that port.
That should be looked into by the Senate pronto because there must be a real connivance with Customs.
And whoever was responsible should be charged with economic sabotage, convicted and jailed and the keys thrown into the polluted Pasig River.
Illegal drugs
That smuggling of the P3.6 billion worth of shabu indicates the problem of illegal drugs is not over.
It shows there’s still a big demand for illegal drugs nationwide.
In my more than seven decades as a journalist, the problem of illegal drugs coming into the country seems unsolvable.
Illegal drugs is a worldwide phenomenon.
But, it can be reduced, and I believe the Philippines can restore the death penalty on the entry and smuggling of illegal drugs.
Yes, I have been an advocate against the death penalty since I believe as a Catholic that only God has the power to end lives.
But, considering the impact of illegal drugs, not only on the youth, but on society as a whole, there should be a death penalty on smuggling of illegal drugs.
I am not saying we should adopt Duterte’s “kill, kill, kill” policy on illegal drugs, but the smuggling of illegal drugs is not only some kind of economic sabotage, but its impact on society is some kind of national threat.
As I said, illegal drugs is multi-billion dollar industry worldwide, but a scourge on society.
The problem of illegal drugs is basic.
If there’s a demand, the supply will always be there and in a way, President Marcos Jr. is correct in not giving emphasis in fighting against illegal drugs by not going after drug users and drug addicts like what Duterte did.
BBM believes if we concentrate on prevention and rehabilitation we can reduce the demand for illegal drugs.