Senate revives oversight body to probe gov’t use of intel funds

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III discusses with (from left) Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (partly hidden), Majority Leader Migz Zubiri, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sen. Risa Hontiveros issues to be taken up in an all senators’ caucus during Monday’s plenary session, Feb. 10, 2020. (Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB).

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Monday approved the revival of a special oversight body that would look into the government’s use of intelligence and confidential funds.

During its session, the Senate swiftly adopted Senate Resolution No. 310 filed by Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Lacson seeking to reconstitute the  Select Oversight Committee on Intelligence and Confidential Funds, Programs and Activities.

This to “enable the Senate to oversee the efficiency of concerned government institutions in the production of accurate and timely intelligence information to better deal with the threats to national security, including the maintenance of peace and order, thereby providing a safety environment and secure place of abode to the people.”

No senator objected when Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri moved to adopt the resolution.

Sotto, who was presiding over the session, immediately named the members of the committee, which would be consisted of a chairperson, four members from the majority and two from the minority bloc.

The committee will be composed of its chairman, Lacson, and its members — Senators Christopher “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Francis Tolentino, Nancy Binay, from the majority bloc; and Senators Francis Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros from the minority group.

“(I)n light of the recent threats to our country’s national security, including disturbance to peace and order by lawless elements, the importance of gathering intelligence information by concerned government agencies cannot be overstated,” the resolution read.

The resolution noted that P9.601 billion has been allocated under the 2020 General Appropriations Act for intelligence and confidential funds “to implement programs and activities of the government, relative to national defense, peace and order, and national security.”

“(I)t is incumbent upon the Senate to reactivate the Select Oversight Committee on Intelligence and Confidential Funds, Programs and Activities in the Eighteenth Congress to continue exercising its oversight functions over the use, disbursement and expenditures of confidential and intelligence funds granted to certain government agencies; and to provide vigilant legislative oversight over the conduct of aforesaid intelligence activities, sources, methods, and programs,” it further stated.

Sotto and Lacson filed the resolution following the resignation of  Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr.

Rio said he resigned because of the lack of transparency in the use of the DICT’s several millions of pesos in confidential funds for surveillance, which he pointed out was not part of the agency’s mandate.

EDV