Opposition lawmakers on Thursday questioned the Marcos administration’s allocation of P10.14 billion to confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) within the proposed P5.768-trillion 2024 nationwide funds, saying the quantity is just “pork barrel” or discretionary.
“Civilian offices and agencies with no business in intelligence gathering or law enforcement are given so much presidential pork in the form of CIF. For example, the Office of the Vice-President again is proposing P500 million confidential funds and the Department of Education is asking for another P150 million confidential funds, all under the control and discretion of the Vice President,” House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of ACT Teachers party-list said in a statement.
“The largest CIF or presidential pork is under President [Ferdinand] Marcos, Jr. with P4.56 billion. [And] instead of slashing the CIF for 2024, the Marcos administration even increased it by P120 million more,” she added.
Castro mentioned the funds would have been higher allotted to social companies.
“Lubog na nga ang bansa sa utang at napakaraming mga social companies na dapat pondohan pero mas inuuna pa ang pork,” Castro added.
(The nation is drowning in debt and there are such a lot of social companies that want funding however they prioritize their pork.)
House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list, for her half, raised concern over the truth that the CIF allocation for the Office of the President (OP), a civilian workplace, is way increased than the Department of National Defense’s of P1.898 billion.
“Sa gitna ng matinding krisis, mababang sahod at kagutuman, patuloy ang paglalaan ng dambuhalang pondo para sa confidential at intelligence funds. Kaya mahirap sabihing ‘Agenda for Prosperity’ ng 2024 budget. Hindi mangyayari ang sinasabing ‘future-proof and sustainable economy’ kung patuloy ang paglalaan ng bilyong pondo para sa confidential at intelligence funds which are vulnerable to corruption,” Brosas said in a separate statement.
(Amid the ongoing crisis, low wages and hunger, we are continuing to allot gargantuan amounts to these confidential and intelligence funds. That is why it is hard to say that the proposed 2024 budget sets an “Agenda for Prosperity”.)
“The ladies’s sector name for zero funds for CIF and different funds gadgets which search to perpetuate impunity. These must be realigned to catastrophe reduction and social companies,” Brosas added.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman mentioned Thursday that the proposed CIF allocation is justified and nonetheless topic to Commission on Audit (COA) guidelines.
Likewise, Pangandaman mentioned that the P120-million enhance within the 2014 CIF is for the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Presidential Security Group, and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
‘Scrutinize correctly’
In a separate assertion, House appropriations panel chairperson Zaldy Co of Ako-Bicol party-list vowed that Congress will comprehensively scrutinize the proposed 2024 funds.
“The House appropriations committee will scrutinize the NEP properly in keeping with its mandate. By properly, I mean making sure that we look at the Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF) with a keen eye,” Co mentioned.
“I have clear marching orders from the Speaker: make sure that the budget fully supports the Marcos administration’s eight-point socioeconomic agenda through sound fiscal management. It is necessary for our committee to check if the projected revenues and borrowings reflected in the BESF are enough to fund the expenses, and, just as importantly, if they are funding the right projects and initiatives,” Co added.
Co mentioned the committee may even take into account projected Gross National Product development charges, treasury invoice charges, international trade charges, inhabitants development charges, and different financial indicators in deliberating the proposed 2024 nationwide funds of P5.768 trillion. — BM, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
