TINULUYANG burahin ng liderato ng Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso ang confidential fund ni Vice President Sara Duterte na nagkakahalaga ng P650 million kasama na ang kahalintulad na pondo sa Department of Education (DepEd) na P150 million.

Ito ang inanunsyo ni House committee on appropriations chairman Rep. Elizaldy Co kahapon subalit hindi ginalaw ang P2.2 billion na kahalintulad na pondo ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“The Office of the Vice President and the Departments of Education (DepEd), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Agriculture (DA) and Foreign Affairs (DFA) are getting ‘zero’ confidential funds under the 2024 General Appropriations Bill (GAB),” ayon sa statement ni Co kahapon ng hapon.

Ito umano ang pinal na pasya ng small committee na naatasang maglagay sa mga individual amendment sa 2024 national budget na pinagtibay ng Kapulungan noong nakaraang buwan.

Ayon sa mambabatas, ang pondo mula sa binurang confidential fund ng mga nabanggit na ahensya ng gobyerno na nagkakahalaga ng P1.23 billion ay ibinigay sa mga ahensyang may kinalaman sa national security lalo na sa West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“As in the past, the House of Representatives is also getting zero confidential funds, the small committee tasked by the House plenary to introduce institutional and individual amendments to the 2024 GAB announced today (10 October 2023),” dagdag ni Co.

Sa nasabing halaga, P300 million ang inilagay sa National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA); P100-million for the National Security Council (NSC); P200-million sa Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)at P381.8-million sa Department of Transportation (DOTr) na gagamitin umano para development at ekspansyon ng Pag-asa Island airport.

“Responding to the call of the times and the volatile situation in the West Philippine Sea, the small committee – as mandated by the House Plenary – has decided to realign CIFs to agencies whose principal mandate is to gather intelligence and ensure the protection of our national sovereignty,” ayon pa kay Co.

(BERNARD TAGUINOD)