VP Sara Duterte No Longer Seeks Confidential Funds
Vice President Sara Duterte no longer seeks the controversial confidential funds as she let go of the P500 million confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) under the proposed 2024 National Budget, as confirmed by Senator Sonny Angara in an interview with the mainstream media on Thursday, November 9, 2023.
Sen. Angara was quoted saying, “We are in receipt of a statement from the Vice President, we discussed earlier, and according to her, the OVP (Office of the Vice President) can only propose a budget to support the safe implementation of its PAPs [projects, activities, programs] to alleviate poverty and promote the [general] welfare of each and every Filipino family,” Sen. Angara said.
The veteran lawmaker is the one defending the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) at the Philippine Senate.
Sen. Angara added, “Nonetheless, they will no longer pursue the CIF, and the reason why is because it is seen to be divisive, and as the Vice President, she swore an oath to keep the country peaceful and strong,” he added.
Confidential Funds for the Revival of ROTC
The Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines, VP Sara Duterte, who is also the Education Secretary, has been pushing for the revival of the mandatory ROTC, and some of the confidential funds will be used for that program; ROTC was scrapped in 2002.
VP Sara Duterte defended the OVPs’ use of confidential funds, saying those against the allocation for such are “naturally assumed to have insidious motivations.”
The daughter of former President Rody Duterte, the most famous presidential bet in the next national elections, stressed confidential funds’ role in maintaining security by providing agencies the necessary resources to address specific challenges.
The Vice President said, “Anyone who attacks or undermines funds allocated for peace and order is naturally assumed to have insidious motivations. Such actions go against the protection and well-being of the citizenry. Those who seek to compromise the security and development of our nation jeopardize the very fabric of our society and hinder our progress,” she said.
Former President Rody Duterte also defended the plans of VP Sara Duterte on her plans to use the confidential funds as he said that the Vice President intends to use her office’s confidential and intelligence funds to revive the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in the Philippines.
According to the former President, who is also considered one of the most trusted private citizens in the country, he has already read the rationale of the OVP’s CIF. Former President Duterte revealed that P125 million would be used for the BMT, strengthened the High School, brought back the ROTC, and made it compulsory.
“Binasa ko ang rationale. Ang plano niya-unahan ko na lang, so I’m sorry I have to divulge this because binigay mo naman sa’kin, then I just make it public-gamitin niya ang pera, it’s only P125 million, gamitin niya sa mga BMT, palakasin niya sa high school, pati ibalik talaga niya ang ROTC. Ipilit niya. Make it compulsory,” Duterte said in an interview on SMNI back in October 2023.
The OVP is seeking P500 million worth of confidential funds for the fiscal year 2024, while the Department of Education (DepEd), VP Sara Duterte also leads as Secretary, also proposed P150 million in confidential funds for 2024.
VP Sara clarified earlier last year that higher education would be better off spearheading the ROTC program. In contrast, basic education will instill discipline and a sense of nationalism among the students during their early years in school.
Bringing back the compulsory ROTC will take a long time, according to the elder Duterte, but stressed its importance to allow children to help take care of their own communities. In response, VP Sara said she wanted a “soft landing” for the program through seminars and field trips in military camps.
SC Petition to Order OVP’s Return of 2022 CIF
OVP’s vocal critics included former COMELEC chair Augusto Lagman, Christian Monsond, Maria Cielo Magno, Imelda Nicolas, and Atty. Gutierrez, Katrina Monsod, and other notable citizens filed a 49-page petition for certiorari, asking the Supreme Court to declare the transfer of the confidential funds done in 2022 “unconstitutional.”
The petition asked the Supreme Court to order the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to return the P125 million confidential funds to the government’s treasury as they claimed that there is no “delegated legislative power” in the transfer and that the confidential funds do not fall under the funding allowed by the contingent fund.
The petition respondents are the OVP, represented by Vice President Sara Duterte; the Office of the Executive Secretary, represented by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin; and the Department of Budget and Management, represented by Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.
Vice President Sara Duterte has welcomed the chance to tacke the legality of transferring the confidential P125 million in funds from the Office of the President to the OVP in late 2022.
According to VP Sara Duterte, her office welcomed the opportunity to discuss the legality of the confidential fund transfer as she hoped that the wisdom of the Supreme Court would finally be the way to end this matter.
Response After Announcement of VP Sara’s Non-Interest with the CIF
In an interview with some reporters, the Vice President’s statement on the CIF being uninterested, as claimed by Sen. Angara, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa reiterated that the OVP could only propose an amount for the proper implementation of projects against poverty and programs that will make the welfare of the Filipinos better. Nonetheless, the OVP no longer seeks the original proposal for its confidential funds.
DepEd spokesperson was quoted as saying “Ang OVP maaari lamang magmungkahi ng kaukulan o karapat-dapat ng budget para sa maayos na implementasyon ng mga proyekto laban sa kahirapan at mga programa na magtataguyod ng kapakanan ng bawat Pilipino. Pero gayunpaman, hindi na po ipu-pursue, hindi na itutuloy ng OVP ang orihinal na mungkahi para sa confidential funds,” DepEd spokesperson said.
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, one of the most vocal critics of the proposed CIFs under the 2024 national budget, lauded Vice President Sara Duterte’s move in saying that they are no longer interested in the CIF.
On his part, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said that the Confidential and Intelligence Fund (CIF) issue for the Office of the Vice President is already “moot and academic.”
When asked if the CIF for OVP will be reinstated during the bicameral conference on the national budget, Sen. Zubiri said that VP Sara Duterte doesn’t like it anymore, and they talked to her, and she no longer wants it; Zubiri confirmed.
Disclaimer: PhilNews.xyz articles and their external content are not financial advice but are only used for educational purposes. Always Do Your Own Research (DYOR) first. The team serves to deliver unbiased news with less intrusive ads.
