DBM: 10 agencies sought increase in confidential, intel fund

At least 10 government agencies have requested an increase in the confidential and intelligence fund (CIF) under the proposed P5.768-trillion budget  for 2024, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Thursday.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman made the disclosure upon the questioning of Kabataan party-list Representative Raoul Manuel.

The agencies which requested additional CIF include:

• Department of Information and Communications Technology (P300 million)
• Department of National Defense (P60 million)
• Presidential Security Group (P60 million)
• Department of Agriculture (P50 million)
• Bureau of Customs (P30.5 million)
• Department of Foreign Affairs (P5 million)
• Armed Forces of the Philippines General Headquarters (P60 million)
• National Security Council (P30 million)
• Office of the Ombudsman (P20.46 million), and
• Office of the Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (P6 million).

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 and P500 million for the Office of the Vice President.

The Department of Education, which is also headed by Vice President Sara Duterte, was also allocated a P150 million worth confidential fund.

“The confidential fund of the OVP and the DepEd are [the amounts] already existing in their [2023] budget, and the CIF can be used for national security and safety po,” Pangandaman said when asked by Manuel how the CIF allocations is helping spur economic growth.

But Manuel was not convinced of the DBM chief’s argument, saying that civilian agencies such as the OVP and DepEd have no business having CIF.

“How are these allocations helping our economy grow? Not all agencies have the function of dealing with national security. That is why there is delegation of tasks across the bureaucracy. Why are so many agencies having CIF?” Manuel said.

Pangandaman responded by saying that the intelligence fund is only for agencies with national security functions  while the use of confidential funds should be compliant with the guidelines set by the budget law.

“Section 85 of the General Appropriations Act allows for disbursement of confidential fund for approval of the department secretary for surveillance to be conducted by civilian agencies in support of the mandate and operations of the agency,” she said.

Manuel, however, remained opposed to such allocations.

“These are just forms of rpesidential and vice presidential pork (discretionary fund),” he added.—AOL, GMA Integrated News