Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 21) — The Senate has realigned the ₱300 million in confidential funds initially sought by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Sen. Grace Poe said Monday.
“Wala nang [There are no] confidential funds at all,” Poe said during the budget deliberations.
According to Poe – who defended the DICT’s 2024 budget – the Senate has found a way to still supply the needs of the DICT to perform its functions without having confidential funds.
She said they were able to convert ₱280 million from the ₱300 million confidential funds into line items. The remaining ₱20 million had been scrapped.
The breakdown is as follows:
Network Detection and Response (₱72.3 million)
Security of Operation Software (₱48.2 million)
Extended Detection and Response (₱79.7 million)
Manpower to monitor the National Security Operations Center (₱19.8 million)
Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration testing tools (₱20 million)
Mobile Security Operations Center (₱40 million)
“When the Commission on Audit does its audit, they will be able to point out what the functions are of the equipment that was purchased,” Poe said.
A small committee at the House of Representatives previously decided not to give confidential funds to some civilian agencies, including the DICT, and realign them instead to those focused on national security.
DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy earlier argued that the requested confidential funds were necessary to fight cyber criminals.
