INTEL, CONFIDENTIAL FUNDS QUESTIONED

House panel terminates 2021 budget briefing for Duterte's office longer than usual

The House panel deliberation on the proposed 2021 budget of the Office of the President (OP) on Monday took longer than in the previous years as lawmakers grilled officials on the intelligence and confidential funds, as well as issues involving President Rodrigo Duterte.

The House committee on appropriations terminated the budget briefing of the OP after almost two hours of deliberation, contrary to what happened in the previous years when the office's budget hearing only took a few minutes.

It was Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab, former chair of the House appropriations panel, who moved for the termination of the budget briefing, although he initially called for the approval of the OP's budget in the committee level.

He noted that it was the longest budget hearing of the OP that he observed in his 10 years of being a House member, as they would normally defer the questions to the plenary deliberations as an "inter-parliamentary" courtesy to the President's office.

"It is my personal belief that the questions have been thorough and have been answered. I think it is proper and fitting that based on our traditions that strengthened our institution, I move that we approve at the committee level the budget of the Office of the President," Ungab said.

But Bulacan Representative Jonathan Sy-Alvarado, vice chairman of the House appropriations panel, explained that their deliberation was not yet a committee hearing but only a budget briefing as the 2021 General Appropriations Bill has not been read on first reading.

This prompted Ungab to revise his motion and moved instead to terminate the OP's budget briefing.

The OP was proposing a budget of P8.238 billion for 2021, but lawmakers from the Makabayan Bloc took turns in questioning its P4.5 billion intelligence and confidential funds.

For one, Kabataan party-list Representative Sarah Elago raised concerns that the intelligence and confidential funds of the OP make up 54.25% of its total proposed budget for next year even as they do not undergo regular auditing processes.

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate, meanwhile, questioned the need to have the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency when the intelligence and confidential funds are already under the Office of the President.

In response, Deputy Executive Secretary for Internal Audit Alberto Bernardo said there is a need for the government to boost its intelligence gathering activities because potential threats to national security still exist even amid the pandemic.

"Marami pa rin nagsasamantala na mga terorista sa kaguluhang dulot ng COVID, na magsasamantala para pabagsakin ang seguridad ng bansang ito. Kaya mas nangangailangan tayo ng proteksyon," he said.

On the other hand, Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas questioned Duterte's decision to grant absolute pardon to US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was convicted of homicide for the killing of Filipino trans woman Jennifer Laude.

She likewise asked why it was taking too long for the President to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement, which governs the conduct of visiting US personnel holding military exercises in the Philippines.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, in response, said the granting of absolute pardon to Pemberton was well within the authority given to Duterte under the Constitution.

He added that the VFA has "vast effects" to the country and the moves to terminate it "should be studied very, very carefully."

"Hindi pwedeng basta-basta mag-decide," Medialdea said.

Apart from the OP, the House appropriations panel also terminated the budget briefing of the Office of the Vice President on Monday. —AOL, GMA News