JV Ejercito: Confi, intel fund requests now a ‘trend’ in departments

Senator JV Ejercito on Friday expressed concern over the proposed 2024 national budget as he noticed that requests for confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) are becoming a trend among government agencies.

“Sa ibang agencies, tatanungin muna natin kung saan nila gagamitin. Why do they need intelligence funds? Bakit parang nauso na, bakit lahat biglang humihingi na ng intelligence funds?  We will ask them during the budget season for what purpose,”Ejercito told reporters in an online interview.

The senator made the remark after Malacanang submitted the P5.768-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2024 to the House of Representatives.

The proposed budget measure includes P10.142 billion confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) which are across government agencies for the fiscal year 2024.

Broken down, the biggest share of the proposed CIF will go to the Office of the President with P4.51 billion. The Department of Agriculture (DA)—likewise headed by the president—is also set to get P50 million.

The proposed CIF also includes P500 million for the Office of the Vice President Sara Duterte, along with P150 million for the Department of Education (DepEd) which she also leads.

Other departments with CIF are the National Defense (DND) with P1.89 billion, the Interior and Local Government with P906.62 million, Justice with P471.29 million, Information and Communications Technology with P300 million, Finance with P111 million, Foreign Affairs with P50 million, Social Welfare and Development with P18 million, Transportation with P15.6 million, and Environment and Natural Resources with P13.95 million.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the P120 million increase in the CIF was due to the additional allocation for the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Presidential Security Group, and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

The Budget chief noted that the confidential and intelligence fund is also at a "decreasing trend," citing its percentage of share in the national budget in the previous years:

• 0.215%  - 2018
• 0.192%  - 2019
• 0.235%  - 2020
• 0.212% - 2021
• 0.183% - 2022
• 0.190% - 2023
• 0.176% - 2024

While Ejercito took special notice of the CIF requests of other government agencies, the senator said some of them are justifiable, particularly the confidential funds for the DICT.

“Titingan natin kung talaga ba ito ay for cybercrime, anti-fraud. Marami na rin nabibiktima. This is our new enemy right now. Kung doon nila gagamitin, I think, that’s justifiable kasi ang tinitira ng mga scammers na ito ‘yung mga vulnerable, senior citizens, ‘yung mga bata,”he said.

The lawmaker then shared that even his own son was recently victimized by scammers.

“This is a new crime that we are now facing. Because of the advent of technology, ang dami na hong cases of cybercrime, ang daming fraud,” he added.—LDF, GMA Integrated News