Poe on Maute attack: What happened to billions of intel funds?

MANILA, Philippines — With billions of government funds allocated this year for intelligence, a senator asked how the Maute group had successfully penetrated the city of Marawi in Lanao del Sur.

Senate Committee on Public Information chair Sen. Grace Poe said on Monday that the attack on Marawi City was “absolutely” a failure of intelligence on the part of Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“Alam mo yung budget ng gobyerno para sa intelligence, kung hindi ako nagkakamali ay malaki, mga limang bilyon yata,” Poe said in a television interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

“Gusto nating tanungin papaano nila ginamit ‘yon, bakit hindi nila natukoy ito kaagad-agad,” she added.

ISIS-inspired Maute group wreaked havoc in Marawi City, where establishments were burned and prisoners were freed last Tuesday.

The intense firefight between government forces and armed group forced President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in Mindanao and cut his trip short in Russia.

AFP admitted that they initiated the clash while serving the arrest warrant against Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon.

“What did you do with the intelligence funds that were given to you? You weren’t able to determine this one, no warning whatsoever,” Poe said.

“The president, you may say, was caught off guard because he was in a state visit, unless, of course, I don’t know the plan, what’s going on inside the Palace, but it seems to me that they had no inkling that this was going to happen,” she added.

Under the 2017 General Appropriations Act, the Congress allotted P5.48 billion to confidential and intelligence funds, while the Office of the President alone has P2.5 billion.

Earlier this month, the Senate created an oversight committee to look into the CIF following the blasts in Quiapo district in Manila City.

“In light of the recent threats to our country’s national security, including disturbance to peace and order by lawless elements, the importance of gathering intelligence information by concerned government agencies cannot be overstated,” the resolution said.

CIF expenditures, however, are not subject to the regular auditing rules and procedures of the Commission on Audit and do not require a detailed accounting.