DICT needs confidential funds to go after scammers, says Uy

Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy on Wednesday said DICT needs confidential funds in order to fulfill its mandate of going after scammers.

"As you very well know po, part of the mandate of DICT is to go after these scammers at wala po kaming… nakatali po ang kamay namin (our hands are tied) if we do not have this kind of capability. Marami pong paraan na ginagamit itong mga scammers (These scammers are using a lot of tactics) in order to avoid detection and to avoid capture or arrest," Uy said at a Palace press briefing.

"And we need all the resources possible and all the tools possible in order to go after them. So, the confidential fund is essential in order to conduct intel and investigation in order to go after these criminals," Uy added.

The DICT is seeking P300 million worth of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) for fiscal year 2024.

Confidential expenses refer to those related to surveillance activities in civilian government agencies that are intended to support the mandate or operations of the agency.

The Joint Circular No. 2015-01, issued by Commission on Audit and four other government bodies on January 8, 2015, governs the spending of intelligence and confidential funds, as well as the auditing of expenses under it.

The confidential and intelligence funds proposed for next year actually total P10.142 billion, according to documents from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The DBM said it is also higher by P120 million than the P10.02 billion set aside for the CIF in 2023. —KBK, GMA Integrated News