Malacanang's cash bribes came from PNP intelligence funds

Cash gifts’ from Palace via PNP intel funds
By Angie M. Rosales
11/13/2007
The P500,000-cash bribes stashed in brown gift bags handed to congressmen and local executives didn’t come from the governors’ league, nor from President Arroyo’s political party Kampi (Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino) but from the intelligence and counterinsurgency funds of the Philippine National Police (PNP) — at least P160 million worth in cash — further bolstering charges that the cash bribes were handed out with the knowledge and consent of Mrs. Arroyo, having allegedly taken this from the police intelligence budget, over which she exercises control.
The amount could reach as much as P1 billion as an alleged paper trail shows there were purported “clearinghouses” used in the release of the funds, suspected to be the funds allocated to the PNP, as pronounced by Mrs. Arroyo, for counterinsurgency or counterintelligence funds ordered released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) several months ago.
Opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson came up with this disclosure on the eve of the scheduled opening of the Senate inquiry into the alleged payoff incident right inside Malacañang last Oct. 11.
Citing sources from the PNP, the agency where he used to be the director general during the Estrada administration, Lacson claimed the alleged cash bribes, worth at least P160 million given to congressmen after the dialog with Mrs. Arroyo, were provided by the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (Pacer) and the Police Security Protection Office (PSPO).
“We have sources in the PNP who disclosed to us that the cash gifts handed out in Malacañang to the congressmen as supposedly Kampi funds actually came from PNP funds. Remember President Arroyo authorized the release of P1 billion for counterinsurgency
operations and we received reports from inside the PNP itself that part of that fund to be used for counterinsurgency after it was cleared, went instead to the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) or the Napolcom,” Lacson disclosed.
Daily Tribune