President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s office has spent P1.16 billion out of its P4.5 billion confidential and intelligence fund (CIF) allocation for 2024.
The Office of the President (OP) announced this through Navotas Representative Tobias Tiangco, the designated sponsor of its proposed P10.7 billion budget for 2025.
Of the OP’s P10.7 billion, P4.5 billion accounts for the combined confidential fund (P2.25 billion) and intelligence fund (P2.31 billion).
“Out of the P2.25 billion confidential, the amount obligated is P562.5 million. And out of the P2.3 billion intelligence funds, the utilized amount is P600 million. So the disbursed amount is P562.5 million of confidential funds and P600 million of intelligence funds,” Tiangco said in response to the question on utilization of the CIF of House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list France Castro.
Tiangco said that the OP is using its CIF for the operations of the Presidential Situation Room, National Cyber Security Intelligence Committee, People’s Center on Transnational Crime, Anti-Terrorism Council Project Management Center, National Maritime Center, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, among others.
Given OP’s low utilization of its CIF for 2024, Castro suggested realigning the remaining amount to other budget items for social services.
“The utilization rate is low [at 25.8%], and we’re already in the fourth quarter. I am saying this because I want an additional budget for social services which deserve to be funded. Since 2020, the CIF for the OP has been of the same amount [of P4.5 billion],” Castro said.
“How can we say that the Marcos administration is different from the Duterte administration when it is following the same practice, considering that the OP’s function is not really for data gathering or confidential information gathering. We should rethink this because other Presidents had millions, not billions, of CIF. Maybe we could change this amount,” Castro added.
Tiangco answered by saying that the huge CIF allocation for the OP won’t get in the way of providing social services.
“The administration’s priority is social services, and that is why we have MAIP (Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients), AKAP (Assistance for Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program) which did not exist before. So even if we keep the CIF allocation at P4.5 billion, we are able to give a budget for social services,” Tiangco said.
“Even if we maintain the CIF at P4.5 billion, this [amount] won’t sacrifice the funding for the social programs we have. That is our assurance to our dear colleague,” Tiangco added.
Castro, however, insisted on her point.
“The OP is not mandated to gather intelligence and confidential information, and it is also not the OP’s job to give rewards and rent safe houses. So we can realign that [CIF] budget to security agencies, and much of this amount should be added to social services. That would be okay for me,” Castro said.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
Be the first to comment