Senate budget bill prohibits use of contingent funds to augment CIFs

THE Senate has prohibited the use of the Executive’s contingent funds to augment the confidential and intelligence funds (CFIs) of government agencies, especially civilian offices which are not involved in defense and public safety.

Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday said the Senate Committee on Finance, which is chaired by Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, has adopted her proposal to include the special provision in the upper chamber’s version of the proposed 2024 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

In her explanation of her “yes” vote to the spending measure, Hontiveros thanked Angara for accepting her individual amendment.

“Nais kong magpasalamat sa ating chairperson ng Senate Committee on Finance sa pagtanggap din ng ating amyenda ukol sa contingent funds para ipagbawal ang paggamit nito bilang panustos ng confidential and intelligence funds ng mga civilian agencies na walang direktang mandato ukol sa national defense at public safety (I would like to thank our Senate Committee on Finance chairperson for accepting my amendments to prohibit the use of contingent funds to augment confidential and intelligence funds of civilian agencies which are not directly involved in national security and public safety),” Hontiveros said.

Asked to confirm Hontiveros’ statement, Angara replied “yes” to questions posed by reporters in the communication app Viber.

Hontiveros made her proposal following the controversy generated by the December 2022 transfer of P125 million in Office of the President (OP) contingency funds to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for use as its confidential funds.

Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives questioned the transfer, pointing out that it was illegal since there was no such appropriation in the 2022 General Appropriations Act.

They likewise questioned how Vice President Sara Duterte spent the P125 million, noting that it was expended in only 11 days.

As a result of the controversy and amid questions on how and where the OVP would use its requested P500 million confidential funds for next year, the House stripped the Duterte’s office and Department of Education’s (DepEd) confidential funds in the