Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13) — Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel said the proposed ₱4.5-billion confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) of the Office of the President (OP) for 2024 are among the vulnerabilities of next year’s budget that can be questioned before the Supreme Court.
Speaking to CNN Philippines’ The Source on Monday, Pimentel explained he does not question the granting of confidential funds to the OP, but the problem is on the “unconscionable” amount being requested at ₱2.25 billion.
On the intelligence funds, he said: “Hindi madaling gastusin yang ₱2.3 billion sa tamang pamamaraan… mga maliliit na gastos ‘yan… hindi naman ‘yan nagtatayo ng mga bridge or gumagawa ng mga daan. Purchase of information, parang retail expenses ‘yan.”
[Translation: You can’t easily spend ₱2.3 billion in the right way. Those are small expenses. That will not be for building bridges or roads. Purchase of information is like retail expenses.]
Pimentel cited joint circular no. 2015-01 that states that intelligence funds can only be used for activities carried out by uniformed and military personnel and intelligence practitioners. These include intelligence and counter intelligence activities that directly impact national security.
The senator said since all agencies tasked to perform intelligence activities are under the president, Marcos should just tap them.
“Si presidente ay consumer ng intelligence, bini-brief na po ‘yan… ganyan din naman sa United States of America… si President (Joe) Biden… walang intel funds ‘yan pero meron syang 16 intelligence agencies sa ilalim nya, sila ang may intel funds at bini-brief nila s’ya,” he explained.
[Translation: The president is a consumer of intelligence, he is being briefed. It’s the same in the US, President Biden does not have intel funds but he has 16 intelligence agencies under him that have intel funds and are briefing him.]
Pimentel said another vulnerability of the 2024 budget is next year’ s spending plan being certified as urgent.
“What is the public calamity or emergency being certified against? ‘Yan ang tanong. Wala naman (There is none),” he pointed out.
The senate leader said another issue for him is the unprogrammed funds. While there is still no final amount, he said this can be used to increase the 2024 budget beyond the president’s proposal.
“Should it follow what happened for 2023 where the final unprogrammed amount was increased by Congress way beyond the amount proposed by the executive… sabi ng constitution (the constitution says), Congress cannot propose a higher amount. We can lessen but we cannot increase,” he said.
“So we have found a way to indirectly increase the budget being proposed by the president by increasing the unprogrammed appropriations way beyond the president’s own recommendation,” he added.
