Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 9) — Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel seeks to block the allocation of “enormous” confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) to three government agencies.
“Kung pwedeng ‘wag na umpisahan or ‘wag umpisahang muli kasi kapag naumpisahan, mahirap pahintuin,” he said during the first day of plenary discussions for the proposed ₱5.268-trillion national budget for 2023.
[Translation: If possible, let’s not pursue this because once you start, it would be hard to stop.]
Pimentel questioned the need to earmark CIF to the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) when they did not secure these funds in 2022 spending.
“I’m pointing out the amount, the practice of (allocating) the enormous amount,” Pimentel said.
The office of Vice President Sara Duterte seeks to have ₱500 million under the 2023 budget. The DepEd, which Duterte also heads, has been allotted ₱150 million.
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Earlier in October, Senator Risa Hontiveros said DepEd’s confidential fund was even bigger than that of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.
Duterte previously defended DepEd’s confidential funds, arguing that the money would help fight crimes targeting learners and teachers.
The OSG, meanwhile, may receive ₱19.2 million in confidential funds.
Last year, there was also a plan to allot the same additional budget to the OSG, but it was not included in the General Appropriations Act.
Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Committee on Finance, said the agencies “all at one point during their existence, had these funds.”
“Perhaps the amounts seem enormous to us, but we should also take into perspective that the budget is also growing so when we compare it to previous amounts, there was a smaller budget then,” Angara explained.
Pimentel said he will propose amendments to slash the CIF, which he said is about ₱9.3 billion “spread out” to various agencies in the 2023 budget.
CNN Philippines Correspondent Eimor Santos contributed to this report.
