Senate did not spend a single centavo on intel, Sotto says in response to COA report

Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said the Senate did not use any intelligence fund.

This, after a Commission on Audit (COA) report, submitted last December, stated that Congress was the top spender of confidential, intelligence, and extraordinary funds (CIF) in 2019.

"The Senate did not spend a single centavo on intelligence funds. Kaya wala akong matandaan, wala kaming ginamit na ganoon," Sotto told reporters during a virtual Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

"I don't know about the House [of Representatives] definitely," he added.

According to the COA report, Congress spent the highest amount of CIF in 2019 with P3.98 billion, beating the Department of National Defense (P3.087 billion) and the Office of the President Rodrigo Duterte (P2.41 billion).

The Duterte administration’s total CIF spending reached over P13.46 billion or P2.03 billion higher than the amount in 2018. — RSJ, GMA News