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Challenged by Pimentel, Martires offers to scrap Ombudsman's P51-M confidential fund

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Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Ombudsman Samuel Martires. ABS-CBN News File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/09/27/20180806-nancy-binay-senate-gc-5544.jpg"/><figcaption>Ombudsman Samuel Martires. <em>ABS-CBN News File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Wednesday offered to scrap his agency’s P51 million confidential fund, upon prodding by Senate minority leader Aquilino &quot;Koko&quot; Pimentel III.</p><p>“If it will only taint the reputation of the Office and of the Ombudsman itself and its officers, I am even willing that this be scrapped,” he told Pimentel, repeating his statement before a House panel.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/11/23/ombudsman-no-receipts-needed-for-confidential-funds">Ombudsman says no receipts needed for confidential funds</a></li></ul><p>Martires and several officials from the Office of the Ombudsman presented the constitutional body’s P5.05 billion budget for 2024 under the National Expenditure Program to the Senate Finance Committee chaired by Sen. Sonny Angara.</p><p>Of the P5.05 billion proposed budget, P1.311 billion would go to filling up of positions at the agency, P76.874 million to pension benefits, P392.218 million to various capital outlay requirements and P389.627 million to terminal leave, retirement and gratuity benefits.</p><p>Some P79.806 million is allotted to additional operating requirements, including confidential funds amounting to P51.468 million.</p><p>Pimentel expressed surprise at the allotment for confidential funds but Martires explained his office had always received allocation for confidential funds since 2005.</p><p>“Your honor, if you remember, the budget was given to us by the DBM (Department of Budget and Management), recommended by the DBM is P51 million also in 2023. I requested that it be reduced by P20 million…It was reduced, it become P31 million. The P20 million was diverted to the MOOE. Now DBM again recommended for about P51 million upon our proposal also. But you can also, if you like, you can also reduce that P51 million,” he said. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2811996" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>But Pimentel brought up 2 agencies that completely refused any allocation for confidential funds — the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).</p><p>“No, we’re not asking,” DFA Sec. Enrique Manalo told Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa Tuesday.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/26/23/bato-wants-dfa-to-have-confidential-funds">Bato wants DFA to have confidential funds</a></li></ul><p>DMW Undersecretary Maria Anthonette Allones also told a Senate panel earlier this month that the late DMW Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople would also have been against the DMW taking confidential funds.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/11/23/tulfo-seeks-confidential-fund-for-dmw-to-go-after-illegal-recruiters-scammers">Tulfo seeks confidential fund for DMW to go after illegal recruiters, scammers</a></li></ul><p>“Just like the Vice President, sinabi na niya dito e, my office can live without the confidential funds. Sinabi rin nya as Secretary of Education, the Department can live without confidential funds. I think the Ombudsman can say that,” Pimentel challenged Martires.</p><p>“There’s no issue sa inyo e. Pero gusto ko &#x27;yung symbolic act e. If it is now the Ombudsman saying, susunod ‘yung iba e. That’s what I predict. I’m more after, not because it is tainting your office kasi wala naman talagang taint sa office ninyo, pero that act, because it is becoming a hot issue right now, the Office of the Ombudsman takes the lead, sabihin niya, I can live without that, alisin na yan, then I will now challenge the other agencies who are not involved in enforcement of penal laws, who are not involved in securing national security, forget about CIF. Focus on your main mandate,” the senator added.</p><p>Martires responded: “As a member of the constitutional group, we have actually wisely spent the budget that is given to us yearly by Congress. On the matter of the confidential fund, I’d like to be the first from the investigating agencies to request Congress that, as I’ve been saying, if it will only taint the reputation, the integrity of the Office as well as of the Ombudsman and his officers, I dare not have a confidential fund during my term of office. I dare not have a confidential fund during my term of office. I think we can survive without the confidential fund.”</p><p>Angara expressed concern though if this will affect the Ombudsman’s need for intelligence information.</p><p>The Ombudsman assured him: “I can always smile at my friends and probably treat them over a cup of coffee. They can do that for us.”</p><p>“Nakukuha lahat ito sa pangiti-ngiti, sa kape, sa mga PR-PR, ganun lang naman &#x27;yan e. Di naman kailangan gastusan lahat ng pera because honestly, there are some intel officers na pag binigyan mo ng pangmerienda, kung minsan, they refuse. Marami sa kanila,” he explained.</p><p>Martires, who previously served as Supreme Court justice, said he’s wondering why confidential funds are now a hot topic.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tg8z8hkNiK4?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>“I’ll try to give an explanation, Mr. Ombudsman,” Pimentel said. “Because, dumami na ang nagreqrequest at lumalaki nang sobra ang halaga. Those are the 2 reasons. Idagdag na natin pangatlo: mahirap ang buhay ng tao ngayon that’s why sensitive sila sa mga issues about money and the use of money. But &#x27;yun &#x27;yung dalawang connected sa government so that’s my explanation on this.”</p><p>Vice President Sara Duterte’s use of confidential funds came under scrutiny recently after it was revealed her office spent P125 million in confidential funds over a span of only 11 days in 2022.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/09/25/23/ovp-spent-p125-m-confidential-funds-in-11-days-in-2022-quimbo">&#x27;Nagulat din po ako&#x27;: OVP spent P125-M confidential funds in 11 days in 2022, says Quimbo</a></li></ul><p>That sum came from the Office of the President’s contingent fund, which Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman claimed was unconstitutional.</p><p>A letter to the DBM in August 2022 also showed she originally requested P250 million in confidential funds.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/26/23/vp-duterte-originally-sought-p250m-confidential-funds-in-2022">VP Duterte originally sought P250M confidential funds in 2022</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2811996" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Under the NEP for 2024, the Marcos administration is asking for a total of P10.14 billion in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF), some of which will go directly to offices controlled by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Vice President Duterte:</p><ul>	<li>P4.56 billion - Office of the President</li>	<li>P50 million - Department of Agriculture (Marcos is concurrently Agriculture secretary)</li>	<li>P500 million - Office of the Vice President</li>	<li>P150 million - Department of Education (Duterte is concurrently Education secretary)</li></ul><p>This figure is slightly higher than this year’s P10.01 billion worth of CIF.</p><p>In comparison, former President Rodrigo Duterte allocated P4.5 billion in confidential funds to his office.</p><p>“Maraming taong naghihirap sa Pilipinas. Ang daming Pinoy na walang kinakain di ba? Magwawaldas ka ng pera, siguro naman, aywan ko. Naniniwala ako bawat tao may konsensya,” Martires told the media after the budget hearing.</p><p>“Let’s just do our work. Gawin natin trabaho natin sa abot ng ating makakaya without relying on funds given by Congress. Kung anong gawain natin, magfocus tayo sa gawain natin, di ba? Kung ang gawain mo ay magdasal, magdasal ka. Bakit ka mag-iimbestiga? Di ba?” he added.</p>

Ombudsman Samuel Martires offered to scrap his agency’s P51 million confidential fund, upon prodding by Senate minority leader Koko Pimentel.

Challenged by Pimentel, Martires offers to scrap Ombudsman's P51-M confidential fund

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Challenged by Pimentel, Martires offers to scrap Ombudsman's P51-M confidential fund

Mike Navallo,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 27, 2023 03:34 PM PHT

Read More:

Samuel Martires

Ombudsman

confidential funds

senate

politics

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sonny angara

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