An opposition senator vowed on Saturday to scrutinize the proposed P10-billion supplemental budget to be used to augment the government’s depleting calamity funds.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the government should explain to Congress where the money will be sourced and why the funds allocated for the rehabilitation of areas ravaged by a previous typhoon have not been released.

Pimentel said the legislature must be assured of the availability of the funds before it approves the supplemental budget for this year, which will be used to help victims of tropical storm “Ondoy” and rebuild devastated areas.

“We need to know where the money will come from. Normally a budget measure is accompanied by a tax measure,” Pimentel said at the weekly “Kapihan sa Sulo” forum in Quezon City.

He also noted that Malacañang has yet to release the P8-billion allocation that was approved by Congress last year for the rehabilitation of areas in Western Visayas that were damaged by typhoon “Frank” in 2008.

The P8 billion, also known as the Paglaum Fund, was programmed to finance the rehabilitation of the provinces of Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental, and the cities of Iloilo and Bacolod.

It was earlier reported that the proposed P10-billion supplemental budget would be sourced from government bonds.

But Pimentel said he doubts if the funds will be made available through bonds as he suggested that it be derived from the intelligence funds of those in the Executive Department.

“I don’t know if that’s sufficient and bonds take time to mature. On the other hand, there are items in the budget that are bloated and we can get it from these.  The intelligence funds are the target as well as the travel funds for the President,” Pimentel said.