THE House Committee on Appropriations on Saturday said it was planning to look into the use of intelligence funds of various government agencies in light of the “escapes” of high-profile suspects who have liabilities in the country.
House Appropriations panel chairman Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co said the escape of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, despite an immigration lookout bulletin, remains an incident of great concern, as well as the cases of former Bureau of Corrections director general Gerald Bantag, and Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy.
“These incidents are alarming because they raise serious questions on the use of funds for security and law enforcement,” Co said in a statement.
House Appropriations panel chairman Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co
But while he said that the cases of Guo, Bantag and Quiboloy remain “isolated cases,” he said there was a need to review how the intelligence funds were being used.
“We want to ensure that every peso of the intelligence funds will be effective. We want to prevent these lapses from happening again by ensuring stronger oversight and accountability,” he added.
The Lower House, Co added, will continue its scrutiny of the budgets of agencies with intelligence funds.
“We will not allow government money to go to waste. The goal is to make sure every peso serves its purpose,” he said.
In an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair in Lipa City, Batangas, Deputy Speaker David Suarez agreed with Co about the need to revisit the country’s security measures, such as border control and the implementation of immigration policies.
Suarez said the escapes of high-profile suspects should not have happened.
“They have liabilities here in our country. We need to look into this,” he said.
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