Press Release - Statement of Senator Risa Hontiveros on issues surrounding confidential funds by LGUs

Dapat ay may malinaw na patakaran at limitasyon sa paggamit ng confidential at intelligence funds (CIFs) ng pamahalaan - mapalokal man o nasyonal.

The 1987 Constitution empowers local government units (LGUs) with fiscal autonomy, and LGUs are mandated to ensure peace and order within their jurisdictions. However, there should be a reasonable threshold on the amount that LGUs - like national agencies- may allocate as CIFs, to promote accountability and transparency.

The Senate should look at the questionable P460 million CIFs by the Davao City government from 2019 to 2022, as shown in Commission on Audit (COA) findings. Nakakalula ang halos kalahating bilyong confidential funds ng Davao City kada taon, kung ikukumpara sa CIFs ng mga malaki at mayamang lungsod gaya ng Makati, Manila at Cebu na hindi man lang umabot sa P100 million.

Ano ang meron sa Davao City at mas malaki pa ang CIF nila kumpara sa ibang national agencies gaya ng Philippine Coast Guard? While Davao City faces existing security challenges, are these challenges really so much worse than China's incursions and abuses in our territorial waters? Inaagaw na rin ba ng Tsina ang teritoryo nila tulad sa West Philippine Sea?

I Iook forward to raising this issue and others involving CIFs at the upcoming Senate plenary discussions on the 2024 national budget. Ang pera ng taumbayan ay hindi ATM ng mga pulitiko na basta-basta pwedeng gastusin at ubusin.