Whoever is against confidential funds is against peace and is therefore an enemy of the state.
This was how Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte defended the confidential funds of her offices, saying those against the allocation are “naturally assumed to have insidious motivations.”
Data from the Department of Budget and Management showed that total confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) in the proposed 2024 budget amounted to P10.142 billion.
Of the total, the Office of the Vice President and the Department ofEducation, both under Duterte, have a combined confidential fund allocation of P650 million.
“Anyone who attacks or undermines funds allocated for peace and order is naturally assumed to have insidious motivations. Such actions go against the protection and well-being of the citizenry. Those who seek to compromise the security and development of our nation jeopardize the very fabric of our society and hinder our progress,” Duterte said during an event marking Butuan City’s police anniversary.
“Whoever is against confidential funds is against peace, and whoever is against peace is an enemy of the nation,” the Vice President added.
The House of Representatives earlier agreed to reallocate confidential and intelligence funds to agencies in charge of intelligence and surveillance activities in the West Philippine Sea.
While the House left the controversial CIF intact when it approved the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget last month, it promised to create a small committee that will tackle the reallocation of the funds from non-security departments.
Duterte also defended the OVP’s spending of P125 million in confidential funds in December 2022 as reported by the Commission on Audit.
Duterte also defended the OVP’s spending of P125 million in confidential funds in December 2022 as reported by the Commission on Audit. “It matters not whether it takes one day or one year of spending. What truly matters is the safety and security of our people,” she said.
“We cannot cap the importance of protecting our citizens based on arbitrary timeframes. We must remain committed to providing the necessary resources for our security forces to fulfill their duties and protect our nation,” Duterte added.
The OVP earlier clarified the “actual implementation” of the P125 million CIF was done in 19 days.