The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) on Thursday defended the proposed allocation of P19.2 million in confidential funds to the agency, saying it would help in the fulfillment of its mandate as counsel for the government.
“Confidential funds will provide additional resources to the OSG to enable it to perform its duties as counsel for the republic more effectively,” Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra told the Inquirer.
These duties include reversion proceedings, naturalization cases, and international disputes, he added. “Nonetheless, we submit to the sound discretion of Congress.”
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Wednesday expressed concern over the P9.3 billion worth of confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) earmarked in the proposed budget for next year spread out across various offices, including P669.2 million for three agencies that had nothing to do with national security.
Pimentel made the statement in his interpellation as the Senate began plenary deliberations on House Bill No. 4488, or the proposed P5.26-trillion general appropriations bill.
He questioned the “enormous amounts” being allotted for the CIFs in next year’s budget, even when the Marcos administration has been harping on a government policy to “exercise prudent macroeconomic and fiscal management in prioritizing expenditures.”
Aside from the P19.2 million proposed for the OSG, Pimentel also flagged the allotment of P500 million for the Office of the Vice President and P150 million for the Department of Education, or a total of P650 million in CIFs at the disposal of Vice President Sara Duterte. INQ
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