Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III
—Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — The budget of the Office of the President (OP), amounting to P8.9 billion, has hurdled the Senate’s approval.
During the Senate plenary’s marathon deliberations on Thursday, the upper chamber gave a nod on the budget of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office.
The OP’s budget contains P4.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Koko Pimentel III questioned the intelligence fund as there are already agencies responsible for intel.
Senator Sonny Angara, Senate finance panel chairperson and budget sponsor, defended that such a fund would be needed to access reliable information to keep order in the country.
The 2023 budgets of several other government agencies, including the Department of Justice and Department of Energy, were also approved by the Senate.