Quimbo seeks disclosure of fund transfers; Lagman prefers to ban them

Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo and Albay FIrst District Representative Edcel Lagman discuss confidential and intelligence funds during the budget deliberations on Commission on Audit at the House plenary session on September 25, 2023. (Screengrab from House of Representatives livestream)

MANILA, Philippines — Government offices should report to Congress any inter-agency transfer of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF), Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo suggested on Monday.

Aside from the report, Quimbo also said agencies asking for CIF should justify why they need it, just like what government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) are required to do.

The lawmaker made these recommendations during the plenary debates on the proposed 2024 national budget at the House of Representatives.

She was responding to the question of Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman.

Lagman had asked Quimbo what amendments to the guidelines on the CIF have been proposed.

Quimbo answered, “There should be a reportorial requirement for any transfers of confidential funds, as well as intelligence funds, within agencies across offices or across agencies, as well as across objects of expenditures.”

“I believe that this may be happening at the moment, but these are not reported to Congress,” she explained.

“So those are some points that perhaps that I discovered as I was studying the matter intently, and perhaps the COA (Commission on Audit) may take these matters as well, when they convene the technical working group,” she added.

According to Quimbo, COA called for a meeting with different departments to amend the joint circular that contains the guidelines.

She was sponsoring the budget for COA when she addressed the query from Lagman.

“I believe that there should be possible amendments in, number one, in the question of who may be entitled to confidential and intelligence funds, particularly for the national government agencies,” she proposed.

Lagman, however, maintained inter-agency fund transfers of CIFs should be totally banned.

According to him, there should be more emphasis on limiting which agencies can seek CIF, by ensuring that the use of these funds is consistent with the mandate of the office.

He also pushed for the public disclosure how CIF is being used, without jeopardizing national security.

“I would like to underscore the proposal to delimit the utilization of the confidential and intelligence funds to appropriate agencies, consistent with their mandate,” Lagman said.

“Because if the mandate does not include the utilization of confidential or intelligence funds, then such agency should not get any appropriation for confidential and intelligence funds,” he pointed out.

“Instead of delimiting or reducing, or defining the transfer, there should be no transfer of confidential and intelligence fund from one agency to another,” the lawmaker stressed.

“And then, also, without prejudicing national security, the public must have an access to the utilization of confidential and intelligence funds,” he added.

Lagman hoped the items discussed would be included either in the amended circular, or in the special or general provisions of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) or the annual national budget.

In response, Quimbo agreed with Lagman’s comments.

Discussions about CIFs have been plenty during the proposed 2024 budget deliberations, after lawmakers from Makabayan bloc accused the Office of the Vice President (OVP) of illegally acquiring CIFs in 2022.

The original budget crafted under former vice president Leni Robredo did not have this item.

However, Department of Budget and Management and Quimbo deemed the fund transfer to be legal.

They said the CIF was placed on the OVP’s Good Governance Engagements and Social Services Projects — a program in the OVP budget that was already in existence.

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