Probe of P300-M DICT funds pushed

Opposition lawmakers on Thursday called for an investigation on the use by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) of P300 million in confidential funds for surveillance, hinting that administration critics may have been targeted.

“This is what we have been repeatedly raising during previous budget deliberations: how intelligence and confidential funds have ballooned and how this was to be used to target critics of the administration,” said Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate.

“The question is who were put under surveillance? Were the opposition and other critics been put under surveillance?” Zarate asked.

House Minority Leader Bienvenido Abante and 16 others ordered the House committee on good government and accountability to conduct the probe, noting that the DICT funds were part of an “unprecedented increase” in confidential allocations of different agencies under the Duterte administration.

House resolution No. 702 noted that former Information Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr. quit his post on Friday after airing allegations of fund misuse which, the department later explained, was spent on cybersecurity measures related to national security.

“With the current exposé of former DICT undersecretary, engineer Rio, of suspected misuse of such funds, Congress (should) exercise its oversight powers and scrutinize how these funds are being expended,” the resolution said.The lawmakers said the conduct of surveillance and intelligence activities are not covered by the department’s charter.

Funds inserted

They also referred to records of the Department of Budget and Management showing that the DICT received P803 million for “confidential, extraordinary and miscellaneous funds in its 2019 budget, P800 million of which was allotted for confidential expenses under the Office of the DICT Secretary.”

The resolution also called attention to a P400-million DICT confidential fund allegedly “inserted” by the Senate in a previous budget deliberation when Information Secretary Gregorio Honasan II was still a senator.