DepEd not getting bigger confidential fund than NICA, says Angara

Senator Risa Hontiveros and Senate finance committee chairperson Sonny Angara on Tuesday gave different positions on the supposed higher confidential and intelligence fund (CIF) that was requested by the Department of Education (DepEd) than the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA).

In a statement, Hontiveros reiterated her call for the DepEd to focus on educational reform instead of national security, as she pointed out that the agency was given P150 million in confidential funds while NICA only received P141.2 million for the same budgetary item.

"We do not question the legal basis for the provision of confidential funds to civilian agencies like DepEd. But their confidential fund, which they say is supposed to go to surveillance activities for the security of students and teachers, is higher even than what the State's intelligence agency asked for. The budget prioritization is misplaced. Let’s leave intelligence and security to the pros," she said.

But Angara, who will sponsor the budget of the NICA for 2023, disagreed that DepEd was given a higher amount for its confidential fund than the NICA.

"I don't think so...I think it's higher than P142," Angara said when asked by reporters about the matter.

While she shares the Education Department's advocacy to make schools a safe space for children, Hontiveros argued that intelligence operations that will be conducted by DepEd will be "redundant" as there are already “existing national security, national defense, law enforcement, even women and children protection governmental bodies and programs.”

"We should avoid duplication of functions and flagrant job-mismatch in government. Hindi trabaho ng DepEd ang national security. At walang kakayahan o imprastraktura ang DepEd na maglunsad ng surveillance activities at crime busts," she said.

She then asked the DepEd to prioritize the health of the students as well as the teachers as COVID-19 cases in schools are increasing.

“Baka imbes na inuuna ang security concerns, yung health and safety muna ng mga bata at guro ang dapat unahin habang tumataas ang mga kaso ng COVID sa mga school. Matinding education crisis ang hinaharap natin. Mawawala tayo sa focus if we burden an education agency with national security matters,” she said.

But for Angara, CIFs for DepEd can be provided as long as it is justified.

"Kung kailangan naman nila. Kung kailangan nila ng intel funds at as long as hindi nasasayang at may pampublikong layunin diyan. Sa atin okay naman basta naja-justify nila," he said.

Apart from Angara, Senate Basic Education Committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian said the P150 million CIF requested by the DepEd is "rational" as this can be used to solve cases of child abuse, sexual harassment, and other crimes hounding the education sector.

Last week, Hontiveros asked the department to repurpose its proposed P150-million confidential fund to restore the budget for Indigenous Peoples' (IP) education.

Hontiveros said that the proposed budget for IP education programs of P53.4 million, down from P144.3 million this year, caught her attention.

In response to the senator, Duterte, who concurrently sits as DepEd secretary, cited Joint Circular 2015-01 which defines confidential expenses as “those expenses pertaining/related to surveillance activities in civilian government agencies that are intended to support the mandate or operations of the agency.”

She then reiterated that she will leave to the Senate if they will grant the CIF that the DepEd and the Office of the Vice President requested for 2023.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III backed Hontiveros' call, saying their bloc will attempt to realign the confidential funds allocated to the DepEd and the Office of Vice President.

Under the 2023 budget, the OVP is asking for P500 million CIF.

Pimentel said the DepEd may keep the P150 million but "it should be used to support basic education programs.”

The DepEd earlier said that surveillance and intelligence gathering are needed to ensure that its projects are target-specific and would result in the broader protection of their personnel and students against sexual abuse and all other forms of violence, graft, and corruption; involvement in illegal drugs of learners and personnel; recruitment to insurgency, terrorism, and violent extremism; child labor; child pornography; and recruitment to criminal activities, gangsterism, and financial and other scams.—LDF, GMA News