DICT sec denies P6.5 billion budget insertion

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda denied allegations of a P6.5 billion budget insertion for his department.

Ako Bicol Representative Elizaldy Co had previously claimed that the DICT was set to receive P5 billion for its Free Public Internet Access Program (FPIAP) and an additional P1.5 billion for its e-Government Systems Development.

Aguda stated that the DICT is operating within its submitted National Expenditure Program (NEP) and has no knowledge of such insertions.

He promised to investigate the claims further after reviewing the budget, noting that the department's current budget aligns with what was previously submitted.

Co mentioned that these insertions were reportedly made at the request of President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.