Senate panel reduces confidential, intel funds to P9.8 billion

The amount of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) was reduced from P10.1 billion to P9.8 billion in the current version of the proposed 2024 national budget, Senator Sonny Angara said Wednesday.

Angara, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said this happened after the Senate adopted the House of Representatives' decision to reduce the CIF in the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

"A total of P9.82 billion in the committee report, your honor," Angara said responding to Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III who inquired about the total amount of CIF in the Senate's version of the 2024 spending plan.

Asked if the Senate reduced the amount of CIF, Angara said, "The House reduced it, your honor, and we adopted in the [Senate] committee report the House recommendations."

Under the National Expenditures Program or the President’s version of the 2024 budget, Angara said the total amount of CIF is at P10.1 billion.

Pimentel reiterated his call to reduce the CIF among government agencies.

"And better, still realign and then the total amount reduced. That’s a good point also because what we're watching for is the proliferation or the multiplication of agencies requesting for it," Pimentel said.

In October, the House of Representatives announced that it has removed P1.23 billion worth of confidential funds of five agencies, including the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

During the Senate plenary deliberations on Tuesday, Senator Jinggoy Estrada disclosed that senators have “agreed unanimously to remove all CIF, not only OVP and DepEd, but all civilian agencies that have CIF.”

Estrada’s claim, however, was refuted by Senator Imee Marcos.

“Sa palagay ko hindi pa napapag-usapan, napagkakasunduan ng Senado. Abangan natin at sigurado may debate yan,” Marcos said in an ambush interview today.

(I think the Senate has not decided yet on the fate of the CIF. Let’s wait and see because for sure that would be debated upon.)

Asked if she will push to reinstate the confidential funds of the agencies headed by her political ally, Vice President Sara Duterte, Marcos said, " I think the vice president has been very prudent and proper and said she will submit to the wisdom of Congress. So I don't think there’s any pushing involved."

According to GMA Integrated News Research, more government civilian agencies are now asking for confidential funds under their proposed budget for 2024

Twenty-eight agencies have formally sought confidential funds in their 2024 budget, up from the 21 offices asking for such appropriation in 2016.

The Department of Budget and Management earlier said the total amount of CIF across all agencies in the proposed 2024 budget is P10.14 billion, including P4.5 billion for the Office of the President (P2.25 billion confidential and P2.31 billion intelligence fund) and P500 million for the Office of the Vice President.

A Joint Circular No. 2015-01 of the Commission on Audit (COA) identified confidential funds as allocations that civilian government agencies use for surveillance activities supporting their mandate.

This is different from the intelligence fund (IF) which is being used by the uniformed, military personnel, and intelligence practitioners in sourcing information related to national security. —NB, GMA Integrated News