Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 24) — A law should be passed to determine agencies that can have confidential and intelligence funds (CIF), Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Friday.
“We certainly should [have a law on CIF allocation] lalo na mukhang dumami masyado yung civilian agencies na nasanay humingi ng (especially now more civilian agencies are asking for) CIF,” she told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
An agreement among certain agencies – Joint Circular 2015-01 – currently governs the use and reporting of CIF.
The CIF has been a hot topic as lawmakers work on approving the 2024 national budget. The most controversial was the ₱650 million requested by the Sara Duterte-led Office of the Vice President and Department of Education.
She later withdrew her request, saying the pursuit of the spending item was divisive.
READ: Zero confidential funds in 2024 budget for OVP, DepEd, DICT, DA, DFA
Hontiveros said the CIF will be one of her main concerns next year.
The Senate committee on finance is working on amendments to the spending plan before it is brought to plenary for approval, she said.
Hontiveros said one of her proposed amendments is prohibiting the Office of the President from augmenting the CIF of the Office of the Vice President through its contingency fund.
This is in relation to the transfer of ₱125 million confidential funds to the OVP in 2022. Petitioners questioning this before the Supreme Court have argued that the transfer was not a hypothetical situation and that it involved a transfer of funds from the OP to an inexistent item in last year’s budget.
