Solons: Marcos office as 2023's top confi, intel funds spender justified

The Office of the President (OP) under President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. as the top spender of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) for 2023 is justified, according to lawmakers.

House good government and public accountability chairperson Joel Chua and 1-Rider party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez gave this response when asked if the House should also investigate the OP after the results of the 2023 Commission on Audit Annual Financial Report showed that the President’s office is the top confidential and intelligence fund spender with P2.25 billion and P2.31 billion, respectively.

“May trabaho at may obligasyon ng ating Presidente, bilang Commander-in-Chief ng Sandatahang [Lakas] ng ating bansa, at ang kanya po ay concerns [ay kasama ang] national security,” Chua told reporters.

(The President has a job and obligation, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. And his job concerns national security.)

“Ito pong ipinapasa po namin [na batas] ay pag-lilimita sa mga ahensya na wala pong kinalaman sa national security, sa peace and order at intelligence gathering, and our investigation is confined within the privilege speech of Congressman (Rolando) Valeriano and Congresswoman (Gerville) Luistro,” Chua added.

(The bills we are passing would limit agencies who have no involvement in national security, in peace and order, and intelligence gathering...)

Chua iss referring to House Bill 11192 or the Confidential and Intelligence Funds Utilization and Accountability bill and House Bill 11193 or the Special Disbursing Officers Accountability bill filed by lawmakers on Wednesday following the inquiry on the disbursement of P612 million worth of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Vice President Sara Duterte and the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte’s term as education secretary.

Gutierrez backed up Chua's statements, citing that the CIF spending of the President was not flagged by the state auditors to begin with, unlike in Duterte’s case wherein the COA issued a notice of disallowance on P73 million worth of confidential funds disbursed by the OVP in 2022.

“If someone filed a resolution...if there were any [findings] regarding the President [spending CIF] in matters not related to their functions, then I think the [House good government and public accountability] committee would also take that matter up for it. But the difference is, it did not happen,” Gutierrez said.

“There was no notice of disallowance for the OP, and that’s why no one has filed any privilege speech or resolution [for investigating this],” Gutierrez added.

Moving forward, Gutierrez said the bills filed by House members on Wednesday that seek to regulate CIF allocation and disbursement will ensure the CIF will be spent properly, including by the President.

“In fact, one of the provisions in our new piece of legislation is that the issuance of notice of disallowance [by COA] will result in declassification [of audit findings],” Gutierrez said.

“In summary, if ever there was a complaint [on the President’s use of CIF], I believe the committee will hear it,” Gutierrez said. —RF, GMA Integrated News