President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., November 24, 2024. Yummie Dingding, PPA pool/File 

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has ordered the Department of Budget and Management to reinstate the original budgets of various priority projects of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), its leader said Tuesday after their funding was slashed by lawmakers during budget deliberations in Congress.

DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the priority projects included the following.

• Enhancement of the National Police Clearance System, the system used for online application and payment of Police Clearance, which had a proposed budget of P619.5 million but was only given P232.7 million by Congress
• Establishment of the Safe Camp Security System, a centralized security monitoring and shared infrastructure using AI-operated IT equipment, which originally had a P472.6 million but was only allocated P161 million
• PNP Drug-Related Data and Integration and Generation System, an online system on the management, integration, and analysis of drug related data, which had an original budget of P553.7 million but was only given P196.4 million by lawmakers

This represents over a billion pesos removed for the DILG’s priority projects. Remulla said the funds were instead realigned to other expenses, including the PNP intelligence funds and the purchase of all-terrain amphibious rescue vehicles for the Bicol region.

“Saan nila nilagay? Nilagay nila halos one billion sa all-terrain ng amphibious rescue vehicles for Region V, specific iyon ha to Region V at naglagay sila ng additional P500 million sa intelligence fund,” the official said.

“So, as instructed by the President sa ating Budget Secretary ay iri-revert ang budget ng IT at tatanggalin iyong additional P500 million intelligence fund na nilagay sa GAA. So, return to original budget ng P820 million yata ang nasa PNP, naging P1.3 billion – ibabalik na naman sa dati siya,” he said.

“Iyong savings na iyon ay ilalagay natin sa launching and bidding out process ng integrated 911 system para sa buong Pilipinas,” he continued.

Asked whether Malacanang had the power to remove funding for certain items in the national budget to restore the original budgets of the DILG’s priority programs, Remulla noted the President’s veto message in the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

“In Section 6 of the veto message of the President and I quote, ‘In the exercise of the budget execution actions vested upon the executive branch, it is understood that the increases appropriations a new budgetary items introduced by the congress in the budget shall be subject to the national government’s cash programming, observance of prudent fiscal management, applicable budgeted execution rules and procedures and approval by the President based on the programs by priorities of the government,’”  Remulla said.

“So, therefore, considering that such increases in appropriations a new budgetary item will have corresponding effects on the outputs and outcomes of the agencies concerned, the DBM shall inform the said agencies of the changes in their respective appropriations and require the submission of their revised performance targets,” he added.

“In that language, puwede talagang i-veto ng Presidente on a line item basis,” Remulla said.

Marcos earlier issued a similar order to the DBM to reinstate the P400 million branding budget of the DOT which was slashed by lawmakers during budget deliberations.

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