Pimentel: Use President's P4.5 billion confidential, intelligence fund on food production

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Sunday said that the proposed P4.5 billion confidential and intelligence funds of the Office of President (OP) for 2023 should be realigned to address food production in the country.

During an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Pimentel said that he agreed with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that solutions to the food production problem needed to be found, and there was thus a need for the budget realignment.

“Ang general concern natin magtipid na tayo at pati iyang mga patapon na gastos natin ay inuutang natin. Naghihirap na ang taumbayan ilagay natin ang pera natin sa mga gastusin na directly sinasagot ang pang-araw-araw na problema ng taumbayan, ang pagkain,” he said.

(Our general concern is that we should save money because we go into debt even over our extraneous expenses. The people are suffering, let's put our money into expenses that directly answer the daily problems of the people, our food.)

“Ang focus naman ng Marcos’ administration ay agriculture unlike the past administration sa kanya ay law and order na drug problem pa. So pwede nga niyang i-justify na kailangan kong law enforcement at intel. Eh ito agriculture, ibuhos na lang natin lahat. And I agree that’s the correct focus, ang pagkain. Ibuhos na lang natin not on intelligence expenses but on food,” he added.

(The Marcos administration's focus is on agriculture, unlike the past administration, which focused on law and order and the drug problem. So, the past administration can justify that it needed law enforcement and intel. Well, for Marcos, it is agriculture. Let us pour all resources into that. And I agree that's the correct focus, our food security. Let's direct our resources, not on intelligence expenses, but on food.)

As stated in the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the OP proposed a P9,031,722,000 budget to sustain its operation for next year.

Of the amount, Malacañang is proposing P2.25 billion for confidential expenses and another P2.25 billion for its intelligence funds.

The NEP states that intelligence expenses are those related to intelligence information gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel and intelligence practitioners that have a direct national security impact.

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.

Earlier this month, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said that the national government was identifying the factors that hindered food security

Cruz-Angeles also said Cabinet members had policy review proposals and legislation to guarantee food security.

Scholarship and social pensions

Northern Samar Representative Paul Daza echoed Pimentel's views.

Daza said the P4.5 billion confidential and intelligence funds could finance scholarship programs and social pensions of senior citizens.

“Kasi noong panahon ni [Presidente Benigno Aquino III] ang confidential fund ng President was only few hundred million. Sa Duterte admin, naging bilyon. Ngayon, nasa P4 billion. Palagay ko hindi kailangan na ganoong kalaki… palagay ko a few hundred million lang, pwede na,” he said.

(Because during PNoy's time, the President's confidential fund was only a few hundred million. In the Duterte administration, it became a billion. Today, it is at P4 billion. I don't think it needs to be that big... I think it would be fine if it’s a few hundred million only.)

“So ‘yung pwedeng i-realign idagdag natin sa social pension… ang daming kulang sa ibang magagandang programs, scholarships at social pension sa mga citizens. ‘Yan ang mga kailangan natin dagdagan,” he added.

(So, we can realign and add the fund to social pensions… There is a  lack of funding for other good programs, scholarships, and citizens' social pensions. Those are the things we need to increase.)

The Department of Budget and Management said the P500 increase for the social pension of indigent or poor senior citizens is unfunded under next year's proposed P5.268-trillion budget.

However, DBM Undersecretary Tina Rose Marie Canda said the agency would work with Congress to remedy the matter.

GMA News Online has sought comment from Malacañang and budget sponsor for the OP Navotas Representative Tobias Tiangco, but neither had replied as of posting time. — DVM, GMA News