Sara drops request for secret funds

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte is letting go of her request for a combined P650 million in confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), saying she must move on from such a “divisive” issue.

She gave this statement to the Senate yesterday amid reports that senators had decided to realign the confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd, which she concurrently heads, along with those of other civilian agencies without security functions.

Senate finance committee chair Sen. Sonny Angara accompanied Duterte upon her arrival at the Senate for the deliberations on the 2024 budgets of the two agencies.

“We’re in receipt of a statement from the Vice President. According to her, the OVP can only propose a budget to support the safe implementation of its activities and programs,” Angara said.

“Nonetheless, they will no longer pursue the confidential fund, and the reason why is because it is seen to be divisive. As the Vice President, she swore an oath to keep the country peaceful and strong,” he added.

During plenary deliberation into the DepEd’s budget yesterday, budget sponsor Sen. Pia Cayetano echoed Duterte’s statement that she is letting go of her request for P150 million in confidential funds for the department.

Cayetano said according to the transmitted budget bill, DepEd’s secret fund request of P150 million was realigned by the House of Representatives to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Program.

“DepEd will no longer pursue the confidential fund. We humbly request that the fund is realigned to the national learning recovery program. We do not expect good scores in the PISA results coming out this December,” Cayetano said, referring to the Program for International Student Assessment.

After deliberations, the proposed 2024 budgets of the OVP and the Office of the President easily hurdled the plenary and was adopted by the Senate, inching nearer to approval.

During the debate, Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III also questioned the OP’s request for P2.31-billion intelligence funds when it is not a uniformed or military agency.

But Angara said the