MANILA – Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla revealed that a P500-million insertion in the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) 2025 intelligence fund came from the same person who earlier requested the importation of “3,000 containers of fish.”

“We returned it because it was an insertion in the budget and the insertion came from the person who requested 3,000 containers of fish,” Remulla said during the Senate subpanel on finance hearing on the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and its attached agencies.

Remulla did not identify the individual behind the budget insertion, but his statement came after Agriculture Secretary Francisco Laurel Jr. previously disclosed that former Representative Zaldy Co had tried to pressure him to issue import permits for 3,000 containers of fish on behalf of three companies, including ZC Victory Fishing Corporation.

Remulla’s remarks were in response to a question from Senate subpanel chairperson Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who sought clarification on why the PNP’s intelligence fund was at ₱1.3 billion in 2025 but reduced to ₱800 million in 2026.

According to Remulla, the additional ₱500 million was an unsolicited insertion that the department did not utilize.

“We did not ask for it, so we returned it,” he said, explaining that the DILG only followed the National Expenditure Program, or the President’s proposed budget.

In January, Remulla had disclosed that several PNP information technology projects were affected by major budget cuts under the 2025 General Appropriations Act. He also noted at the time that while certain projects were reduced, nearly ₱1 billion was allocated for the purchase of all-terrain amphibious vehicles in the Bicol Region, and ₱500 million was added to the PNP’s intelligence fund.