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House panel moves some confidential funds to publicly auditable items

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RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Committee on Appropriations Senior Vice Chairperson and Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo. House of Representatives Media Affairs handout/file" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/09/29/20230929-stella-luz-quimbo-via-house-of-representatives-media-affairs-handout.jpg"/><figcaption>Committee on Appropriations Senior Vice Chairperson and Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo.<em> House of Representatives Media Affairs handout/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — The House of Representatives Small Committee has reallocated P1.23 billion of P4.86 billion in confidential funds in the proposed 2024 national budget.</p><p>Among the agencies affected by the cuts are the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education.</p><p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. holds the agriculture portfolio, while DepEd is led by Vice President Sara Duterte, whose main office also had its confidential budget cut.</p><p>&quot;[T]he Office of the Vice President and the departments of Education, [Information and Communications Technology], Agriculture and Foreign Affairs are getting zero confidential funds,&quot; Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, senior vice chair of the House appropriations committee, said.</p><p>The budget adjustments will not mean less funding, only that the the money will not be for confidential expenses. &quot;Kung puwede naman siya maging auditable, auditable na lang,&quot; Quimbo said.</p><p>(If they could be put in auditable items, then we put them there instead.)</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/29/23/confidential-funds-realignment-to-affect-10-govt-agencies">Confidential funds realignment to affect 10 gov&#x27;t agencies</a></li></ul><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">See Breakdown of realignmemts in press release of Appropriations Chair Elizaldy Co <a href="https://t.co/QO3YHIJPka">pic.twitter.com/QO3YHIJPka</a></p>— RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News (@RG_Cruz12479) <a href="https://twitter.com/RG_Cruz12479/status/1711629664354218447?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2023</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will, for example, get P30 million for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses.</p><p>DepEd, meanwhile, will get P150 million for its Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education program.</p><div><strong>Confidential funds retained for some agencies</strong></div><p>Quimbo said the Small Committee considered agencies&#x27; mandates in its reallocation of funds. Agencies that have surveillance activities in their mandates were allowed to have them.</p><p>&quot;So, kasama dito ang [Department of Justice]. Kasama dito ang [Bureau of Customs] at iba pa na talagang kailangan naman talaga ng surveillance,&quot; Quimbo said.</p><p>(So, that includes the DOJ That includes the BOC, and others that really need to conduct surveillance.)</p><p>House leaders said that the bulk of the confidential funds of the affected agencies will go to agencies in charge of national security, especially in the West Philippine Sea.</p><p>The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency will get P300 million, the National Security Council will get P100 million, and the Philippine Coast Guard will get P200 million that it can use for intelligence activities and to buy ammunition.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/27/23/more-confidential-intel-funds-for-coast-guard-3-other-agencies-sought">More confidential, intel funds for Coast Guard, 3 other agencies sought</a></li></ul><p>The Department of Transportation will also get P381.8 million for development and expansion of Rancudo Airfield on Pag-Asa Island in Palawan.</p><p>Quimbo said it will be up to the bicameral conference committee to put in safeguards for surveillance activities in the budget bill.</p><p>AKO BICOL Party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, appropriations committee chair, said the airfield expansion is part of plans to develop the administrative center of Kalayaan municipality and make it &quot;the new Maldives of the world.&quot;</p><p>The plan also includes putting up schools after the island&#x27;s school was damaged by a storm.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re also thinking na maybe we all have some donation for the church, kasi kung may simbahan ... baka di tayo bombahin sa Pag-asa. So, hopefully, we want to be more creative, imaginative in the area.&quot;</p><p>He said he is confident that the Small Committee&#x27;s changes will be retained at the Senate and at the bicameral conference.</p><p>Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe and Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan are also members of the Small Committee.</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=2807945" 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><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/05/23/dilg-to-lgus-confidential-funds-must-be-justified">DILG to LGUs: Confidential funds must be justified</a></li></ul><div><strong>Gabriela: A win for the Filipino people</strong></div><p>Gabriela Women&#x27;s Party, part of the Makabayan bloc that has criticized the grant of confidential funds to government agencies, hailed the removal of confidential funds from five government agencies.</p><p>&quot;This is a huge win for the vast majority of FIlipino people calling for transparency and accountability in government spending,&quot; Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said, adding the adjustment was a result of &quot;overwhelming&quot; public clamor.</p><p>&quot;However, we still have a long way to go. As the Senate deliberates the proposed 2024 National Budget, we will strengthen our call to completely remove all confidential funds and realign it to social services and programs,&quot; she said.</p><p>Gabriela also challenged Marcos to give up his office&#x27;s P4.56 billion in confidential and intelligence funds.</p><p>&quot;These funds should be redirected to basic social services especially amid the high prices of food and meager wages,&quot; Brosas said.</p>

Among the agencies affected by the cuts are the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education.

House panel moves some confidential funds to publicly auditable items

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House panel moves some confidential funds to publicly auditable items

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 10, 2023 05:13 PM PHT

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Updated October 10, 2023 07:51 PM PHT

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House of Representatives

national budget

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