Makabayan solons to Duterte: Where will P4.5-billion intel, confidential funds go?

Party-list lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc on Thursday raised alarm over the huge allocation for the confidential and intelligence funds of the Office of the President for the fiscal year 2022.

The Office of the President is seeking P8.2 billion budget for next year. Of this amount, a total of P4.5 billion was allocated for confidential and intelligence funds.

On the last day of plenary deliberations on the proposed P5.024 trillion national budget, ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro asked for the use of these confidential and intelligence funds.

Through its sponsor, Zamboanga del Norte Representative Romeo Jalosjos Jr. said the intelligence expenses are those related to intelligence information gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel as well as practitioners that have direct impact to national security.

Meanwhile, confidential expenses refer to those related to surveillance activities in civilian government agencies that are intended to support the mandate or operations of the agency, he added.

Castro was alarmed over the huge amount being proposed for the OP's confidential and intelligence funds, noting that it is two-thirds of the office's Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE).

"The President, even though he is the commander-in-chief of the AFP, is himself a civilian. Sa lagay na lagpas ng two-thirds ang MOOE ng opisina niya ay intelligence at confidential funds," Castro said.

(The amount is two-thirds of the OP's MOOE.)

"Saan ginagamit ang mga ito? Sa war chest? Pre-campaign and campaign
funds? Pagpapabango ng sarili at kaalyado sa panahon ng pandemya at krisis?  Hindi ganito ang Office of the President na inaasahan ng mamamayan," she added.

(Where will these be used? As war chest? Pre-campaign and campaign funds? To favor the President and his allies amid the pandemic? This is not the Office of the President that the citizens need.)

Meanwhile, Bayan Muna party-list Representative Ferdinand Gaite also voiced similar concern of how the funds will be utilized, noting that their confidentiality should not be "forever."

"I think there should be a distinction from what we call the MUPs or military uniformed personnel represented by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police and other sectors na ito 'yung explicitly, maging PDEA by the way, and other such law enforcement functions..." Gaite said.

"Nababahala po kami na although, in fairness di po sa panahon ng Pangulong Duterte 'to, previous administrations have also been allocated intelligence funds pero 'yung paglaki 'yung isang nakababahala na hindi na natin malaman kung paano gagamitin," he added.

(In fairness to the current administration, these funds were also present in the past governments, but the fact that they're increasing is alarming. We don't know how these will be used.)

Jalosjos admitted that there should be safeguards to ensure that the budget will be used properly.

"Tama po kayo, na sa aking palagay lang ah, kasi you're asking for my opinion, tama na maglagay tayo ng mga safeguards pero kailangang dumaan sa tamang pamamaraan katulad ng paggawa ng amyenda ng Saligang Batas, mapalitan na natin ang ating mga kakulangan sa Saligang Batas." he said.

(I think you're right that we need to put safeguards but this should undergo a thorough process, similar to introducing amendments to the Constitution.)

Kabataan party-list lawmaker Sarah Elago urged that the funds should instead be realigned to programs directly involved in COVID-19 pandemic response.

Jalosjos reasoned that the national government is also giving importance to the country's security situation.

"Mahalaga rin po kasi sa Pangulo ang peace and order. While we are facing a pandemic, hindi rin naman po natin puwedeng iwanan ang ating peace and order situation," Jalosjos said.

(The President also gives importance to peace and order. While we are facing a pandemic, we cannot just ignore the peace and order situation.)

"Mahalaga po na harapin ang pandemya pero mahalaga rin po for our recovery ang ating peace and order situation," he added.

(Our peace and order situation is also necessary for our recovery.)

Due to their nature, expenses under intelligence and confidential funds cannot be easily audited, unlike other regular expenditures of government agencies.

The Joint Circular No. 2015-01, issued by Commission on Audit (COA) and four other government bodies on January 8, 2015, governs the spending of intelligence and confidential funds, as well as the auditing of expenses under it.

While regular government expenses are audited by a designated team from COA, reports on the use of intelligence funds are submitted to the President, while those on the use of confidential funds are sent to the President, Senate President, Speaker of the House or to the Secretary of the DILG.

However, in his veto message in the 2021 budget, President Rodrigo Duterte nixed a provision that requires intelligence fund use reports to Congress, saying he is duty-bound to protect national security.—LDF, GMA News