LAWMAKERS yesterday assured the public that the House of Representatives will realign the confidential funds (CF) of certain civilian agencies, including the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), to augment the allocations of the Philippine Coast Guard and security forces at the forefront of protecting the country’s territorial interests in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the South China Sea.
The House on Wednesday night approved the P5.768 trillion proposed national budget for 2024 and tasked a small committee led by Rep. Zaldy Co (PL, Ako Bicol), chairperson of the Committee on Appropriations, to finalize all the amendments to the House-approved version of the budget which will be submitted to the Senate.
Co said the augmentation will come from the OVP and DepEd, which were allocated a combined amount of P650 million in confidential funds under the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP), and other agencies that the small panel will identify.
“So far that’s what we have identified, but we’re still looking at other sources,” he told reporters late Wednesday night.
“As discussed, we will realign the confidential funds of various civilian agencies. Now is the time to give our intelligence community the means to perform their duties, especially in these pressing times when we’re facing serious concerns in the West Philippine Sea,” Co said.
He said the House will increase the CIF of the PCG, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), the National Security Council (NSC) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The move, he said, is meant “to boost the country’s monitoring and operational capabilities in protecting our territorial waters and securing the rights and access of Filipino fishermen to their traditional fishing grounds.”
“The country’s safety and security are of paramount importance. To protect our territorial integrity from external threats, Congress is giving top priority to agencies directly in charge of protecting the country’s safety and securing its borders,” he said.
The unanimous decision of House party leaders came after the Chinese Coast Guard installed a floating barrier in Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough shoal off the coast of Zambales.
In a separate interview with ANC, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel of the PDP-Laban said the House wants the 2024 budget to be “acceptable” to the public since “the people have already spoken (against the OVP’s use of confidential funds).”
“One hundred percent there is a reallocation,” assured Pimentel, who was among the political party leaders who signed a statement calling for the realignments of the confidential funds of both the OVP and the DepEd.
POWER OF THE PURSE
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, an opposition lawmaker, defended the House’s decision to realign some items in the 2024 budget, stressing that it is well within its constitutional power of the purse.
“The reallocation of confidential and intelligence funds from one department or agency to another is merely a transfer of allocation from one office to another which does not result in exceeding the total ceiling proposed in the NEP. In other words, it is a process of subtraction and addition of allocations which does not breach the ceiling,” Lagman said in a statement.
Lagman was reacting to social media posts of former Supreme Court Justice Adolf Azcuna who believes that the House’s move to reduce and realign the CIF of the OVP and the DepEd is unconstitutional.
The senior lawmaker said the realignment “is within the totality of the expenditure program proposed by the President.”
“The National Expenditure Program, which is the basis of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), is not cast in stone. Consequently, the Congress, more specifically the House of Representatives where appropriation measures originate, can amend, modify, delete, realign, reduce, increase, and reallocate items of expenditure in the NEP as long as the ceiling of the total expenditure budget proposed by the President for the entire government is not exceeded,” he said.
OVERWHELMING APPROVAL
The House voted 296-3 with no abstentions to approve House Bill (HB) No. 8980 or the 2024 national budget on third and final reading on Wednesday night.
Speaker Martin Romualdez expressed confidence that every centavo in the national budget aligns with the administration’s medium-term fiscal framework, the 8-point socioeconomic agenda, and the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, “reflecting the overarching goals of economic transformation towards inclusivity and sustainability.”
Romualdez also extended his gratitude to his fellow legislators, especially members of the minority bloc, “for their diligent efforts and collaborative spirit in reaching this significant milestone.”
“I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of the members of the minority bloc, without which we would not have been able to evaluate, scrutinize, and dissect the national budget and disentangle a number of legislative intricacies that challenge this august chamber every session day. What the minority bloc puts forth unto the process of lawmaking is truly essential and valued,” the Speaker said.
The proposed 2024 national budget is 9.5 percent higher than this year’s budget of P5.267 trillion and is equivalent to 21.7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
As mandated by the Constitution, the education sector will receive the largest allocation at P924.7 billion, including funds for the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education program, textbooks, and feeding programs. The Department of Education sees a 5.37 percent increase to P758.6 billion.
The Department of Public Works and Highways will get P822.2 billion with allocations for road improvement, while the Department of Transportation’s budget doubles to P214.3 billion, focusing on mass transport and rail systems. Infrastructure priorities include the North-South Commuter Railway System and Metro Manila Subway Project Phase 1.
The Department of Agriculture will receive P181.4 billion, supporting rice, corn, and high-value crops production.
The Department of Health has been allocated P306.1 billion, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development sees a 5.2 percent increase to P209.9 billion. The Department of National Defense’s budget rises by 14.16 percent to P232.2 billion.
MIC TURNED OFF
Before the budget was voted upon for passage on final reading, Rep. Raoul Manuel (PL, Kabataan) was recognized to raise a point of order, but his microphone was switched off when he started questioning why the House was proceeding to third reading voting when the Constitution states that it should be done at least days after the passage on second reading.
Deputy majority Leader Marlyn Primicias-Agabas of Pangasinan, who was recognized by presiding officer deputy speaker Kristine Singson-Meehan of Ilocos Sur even if Manuel still had the floor, said the House can move for the budget’s passage on final reading on the same day because the bill was already certified as urgent by President Marcos Jr.
“The chair now rules that the point of the gentleman, the Honorable Manuel, is out of order, Majority Leader,” said Singson-Meehan said, while Manuel continued to speak, which prompted Primicias-Agabas to reiterate her motion to vote on the bill for passage of third and final reading.
After the deputy majority leader’s motion was approved, Manuel’s microphone was turned off, a move, which he said was “rude” to the people and proof that “tyranny of the majority” was what again prevailed.
Senior deputy minority leader Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano (PL, Abang Lingkod) moved to remove from the record Manuel’s remarks, especially the word “bastos” or rude but it was not acted upon by Singson-Meehan.
Senior deputy minority leader Paul Daza of Northern Samar eventually came to Manuel’s defense: “I would be remiss of my duty not to speak up on what just happened. We’re a collegial body. It’s a democracy. The Honorable Manuel was properly recognized. We should’ve just let him finish what he had to say,” he said.
