DILG asking Congress for P24 M on top of proposed P61.66-B 2009 budget

To avoid the disruption of the mandatory training and career advancement of police officers up for promotion next year, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is asking Congress for an additional P24 million on top of its proposed P61.66 billion budget for 2009.

The request by Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, coursed through Sen. Edgardo Angara, was made during plenary debates of the proposed 2009 DILG budget in the Senate.

Bulk of the proposed capital outlay of P2.1 billion will go to the PNP for the construction of 14 new police stations and four engineering offices; and acquisition of more anti-terrorism gear and equipment, communications equipment, and other facilities.

“If the functioning of the PPSC is delayed even for a few months, then this will have serious repercussions on the promotions of officers within the PNP, which could lead to demoralization among its ranks,” Puno said.

Angara, who defended on the floor the DILG’s budget plan for 2009, said the additional fund request was necessary for leasing facilities that will be used by the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) for its temporary transfer on Feb. 4 next year from Fort Bonifacio in Taguig to an educational institution in Laguna.

The PPSC, an attached agency of the DILG, provides the training, human resource development and continuing education of personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

The PPSC was asked to transfer by Feb. 4 to a new location only last month, or long after the DILG had already presented its proposed budget for 2009 to Congress.

The PPSC sits on a property owned by the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) and the National Police Commission (Napolcom), which plans to put up a high-rise building on the site next year.

Puno said the DILG has already found a new location for the PPSC in Silang, Cavite, but the construction of its facilities has yet to be completed.

In the meantime, the PPSC is planning to temporarily transfer to the St. James Academy in Calamba, Laguna by February, but it has no budget to lease the building and its facilities, which requires P2 million a month or P24 million for one year.

This college provides training each year to about 27,000 police personnel nationwide, about 4,000 of whom are trained in its facility in Fort Bonifacio.

Among the courses it offers is the Officers Senior Executive Course, a mandatory requirement for third-level PNP officers up for promotion to the next rank.

Puno explained that a delay in the transfer of the PPSC from Fort Bonifacio to a temporary facility pending completion of its new building in Silang, Cavite would disrupt its operations and set back the promotions of PNP officers next year.

Sen. Benigno Aquino III, who chairs the Senate committee on local government, during plenary debates on the DILG budget made a similar observation.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., a former DILG chief and lead author of the Local Government Code, supported the DILG’s request, saying he would propose necessary amendments to source the P24 million additional funding for the PPSC to ensure the smooth flow of its operations next year.

The DILG is seeking congressional approval of its Malacañang-proposed budget for 2009 amounting to P61.66 billion to sustain its ongoing initiatives on enhancing local autonomy, improving the crime solution efficiency rate, and modernizing the country’s jail management and fire protection services.

Puno said the Department’s 2009 budget proposal covers allocations for the 10 percent salary hike of DILG employees; creation of 3,000 new positions in the PNP, another 500 in the BJMP, and 500 more in the BFP; increased benefits for the PNP; and adjustments in the subsistence allowance and hazard pay of uniformed personnel.

In terms of agency, the DILG has proposed appropriations for the Office of the Secretary totaling P1.84 billion; for the BFP, P6.58 billion; BJMP, P4.16 billion; Local Government Academy (LGA), P84.06 million; Napolcom, P1.07 billion; PPSC, P865.78 million, and PNP, P47.05 billion.

Next year’s budget plan is P8.42 billion or 16 percent higher than the 2008 budget of P53.24 billion.

The DILG has allotted P50.2 billion for personal services under its proposed 2009 budget; P364.92 million for maintenance and other operating expenses, and P3.46 billion for capital outlay, Puno said.

He added that the proposed capital outlay will be used for the acquisition of 100 new fire trucks and other firefighting gear and equipment for the BFP; and construction of new jail facilities and offices; procurement of prisoners’ vans, gas masks and firearms for the BJMP.