S.Risa Hontiveros and former senator Franklin Drilon have been harping about the reported misappropriation and misuse by the government of so-called confidential and intelligence funds. Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, in a tussle with Sen. Sonny Angara who sponsored the national budget in the Senate, questioned the need of the Office of the President (OP) for so much confidential and intelligence funds, as there are existing intelligence agencies and units in the government which can serve the intelligence needs of the OP or the President himself.
Angara defended the need for the President to have his own share in intelligence funds as “he is not just a user, but a gatherer of information” as well. The senator said that there may be individuals who are not willing to give (intelligence) to a large organization and expose themselves. But if they know that that information is going (directly) to the President, then that would encourage them to give that information.”
Last Nov. 10, the Senate approved the P8.9 billion proposed budget of the Office of the President for 2023, which includes P4.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds, the same amount given by Congress to former President Rodrigo Duterte.
‘There is a ray of hope in our officials’ effort to make things right, as current Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri is supportive of reviving the Oversight Committee and making it work this time around.’
Of the P4.5 billion, P2.25 billion is in confidential funds, while the other P2.25 billion is allotted to intelligence. The combined amount comprises around half of the entire OP budget.
Drilon has pointed out in a TV interview that seven government departments/agencies which did not have intelligence funds in the 2022 national budget will now have these under the budget next year. These are the Office of the Vice President, Department of Education, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Office of the Solicitor General, Department of Foreign Affairs and the Commission on Human Rights.
Pimentel correctly pointed out that the usual objection against confidential and intelligence funds is the lack of transparency. He asked if it would be possible to receive periodic “accomplishment reports” instead of liquidation reports, so as to not reveal the ultimate recipient of the funds.
In practice, these funds are actually not audited. The Commission on Audit, Drilon said, implements what is called a “sealed envelope system” whereby the user of intelligence funds only submits in a sealed envelope a summary of where the funds were spent, which is never disclosed to the public or even the legislators that approved the budget.
In 2017, the Senate formed an Oversight Committee to monitor how various offices of the Executive Department are using their intelligence and confidential funds, but according to Drilon, this committee never met to do its mandate.
There is a ray of hope in our officials’ effort to make things right, as current Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri is supportive of reviving the Oversight Committee and making it work this time around.
