Dalipe: Reduced confidential, intel fund lets Congress increase aid program funding

Reducing the confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) allocation in the proposed P6.35-trillion budget for 2025 will allow Congress to realign more funds to aid programs, House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City lawmaker Mannix Dalipe said Tuesday.

The CIF in the proposed budget for next year is P10.285 billion, compared to this year's allocation of P12.378 billion. Of the amount, P4.56 billion are CIF for the Office of the President.

“We observed a decrease of about P2 billion pesos in CIF. It means that it gives us more elbow room to provide those funds for other purposes like job creation and other aid programs such as AICS and TUPAD,” Dalipe said in a press conference.

AICS is the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis under the Department of Social Welfare and Development, while TUPAD is Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers program under the Department of Labor of Employment.

“That [elbow room] is a welcome news for us since we can provide for those in need,” Dalipe added.

Other agencies that will receive CIFs under the proposed 2025 budget include:

• the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency with P500 million
• the National Security Council with P250 million
• the Department of Finance (covering Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Internal Revenue) with P79.5 million
• the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity with P60 million
• the Office of the Ombudsman with P51 million
• the Commission on Audit with P10 million
• the Anti Money Laundering Council with P7.5 million
• the Games and Amusements Board with P4 million, and
• the Commission on Human Rights with P1 million

Dalipe also said the House can meet its target of approving the proposed 2025 budget on third and final reading by October even as it continues its inquiry into the drug war deaths during the past administration, as well as crimes linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).

“Every budget process is very challenging. As much as possible, we want to  work on the deadline and transmit it before the October break so our counterparts in the Senate can also work on it [on time],” he said.

“We will allocate the rooms nearer to the Plenary Hall for budget briefing or budget deliberation and we will also reserve the other new spaces for those committees which have to continue with their investigation, especially on drug war deaths and POGO, among others,” Dalipe added. — BM, GMA Integrated News