Marcos funding upgrades for PNP鈥檚 IT system correct 鈥� Tiangco
The national headquarters of the Philippine National Police — INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision to reallocate funds for the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) information technology (IT) system upgrades is justifiable as law enforcement needs to keep up with changing times, Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco said on Friday.
In a statement, Tiangco said he welcomes Marcos’ decision to move P500 million from PNP’s confidential funds to its IT programs.
This, Tiangco said, will promote transparency in government while ensuring that police officers are properly equipped to combat cybercrimes and address technological challenges.
“Cyberspace is a rapidly changing landscape and we need to ensure that our law enforcement agencies are always up to date,” he said.
“I fully support the president’s decision because it ensures the PNP is prepared to tackle threats like phishing, scams, and identity theft while promoting accountability,” he added.
Article continues after this advertisementLast January 21, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Marcos ordered the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to restore the removed funds for the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) IT program.
Article continues after this advertisementIn a briefing in Malacañang, Remulla said the P500-million intelligence funds lodged with agencies under the DILG would be allocated to the IT budget, including the launch and bidding process of the country’s integrated 911 system.
“As instructed by the President, our Budget Secretary will revert the IT budget and remove the additional P500-million intelligence funds,” he said partly in Filipino.
“The 911 system is language-sensitive throughout the Philippines. So, if you’re in Ilocos, an Ilocano speaker will answer you,” he added.
READ: Marcos orders DILG to shift funds to integrated 911 system
When asked whether this move would be legal since the General Appropriations Act (GAA) has been enacted already, Remulla mentioned portions of Marcos’ veto message when he signed the budget bill into law.
Under Section 6 of the veto message, higher allocations in the new budgetary items introduced by Congress will be subject to the national government’s cash programming and will require approval from the president.
This move, however, was met with criticisms from progressive groups, with ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro saying that presidents cannot simply change line item appropriations in a budget that has been enacted.
In a message to reporters on Tuesday, Castro said Marcos has to explain how he intends to fund the DILG’s IT program.
“As a rule, the president cannot easily make changes to the budget that was already passed by Congress. He should explain how he single-handedly made increments and decrements to the budget,” she said in Filipino.
In November 2013, the Supreme Court (SC) declared the pork barrel or the Priority Development Assistance Fund — a discretionary fund given to lawmakers for their pet projects — as unconstitutional.
Prior to the SC decision, lawmakers from both the House and the Senate were allowed to intervene, assume, or participate in the post-enactment stages of the budget execution.
READ: SC declares PDAF unconstitutional
In October 2019, SC clarified that not all discretionary funds are unconstitutional, noting that four kinds of lump-sum discretionary allocations can be allowed:
- unprogrammed funds
- contingency funds
- e-government fund
- local government support fund
READ: SC deems 4 kinds of lump-sum discretionary funds constitutional
Tiangco said addressing cybercrime is urgent, as a Social Weather Stations survey released in November 2024 showed 7.2 percent of reported cybercrime victimization.
“Every now and then you would hear complaints that someone was hacked, scammed, or was a victim of phishing. It is timely and necessary for the police force to invest in IT programs,” he said in Filipino.
“It’s saddening though that the majority of those who call our 911 centers are prank callers. Apart from enforcing sanctions and penalties for prank callers, we need a system that deters such actions and ensures faster emergency responses,” he added.
