Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Financial Management Services Domingo Nolasco. Photo: romepe.dfa.gov.ph
MANILA, Philippines — An official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed before the Senate committee on finance that the department received $500,000 from the contingent fund of the Office of the President (OP) this year.
The confirmation came from Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Financial Management Services Domingo Nolasco.
At the same time, he said the contingent fund was intended to help calamity-stricken countries.
The FDA official made the statement on Tuesday during the hearing of Senate committee on finance on the proposed P23.9 billion budget of DFA for 2024.
It was Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III who initially prodded Nolasco to verify if it is true that the department received contingent funds in 2022.
“I don’t have the record now [for] 2022, but in 2023, we received funds from the contingent fund of the OP and these were intended for donation to other countries,” replied Nolasco.
“We also donate to other countries [for aid and relief] and it comes from the contingent fund of the OP. It’s upon request, Sir, and we remit it to a specific country,” he explained in a mix of English and Filipino.
Nolasco disclosed that in 2023, DFA received a total of $500,000 from the OP’s contingent fund.
Pimentel then commended DFA for the way it spent the public fund.
“We are against the use of contingent fund for confidential and intelligence [use], but this kind of use na ipinakita sa atin ng DFA, ito ang lehitimo, tama at commendable na ginawa ng Pilipinas,” said the senator.
(We are against the use of contingent fund for confidential and intelligence [use], but this kind of use that DFA showed us, this is legitimate, right and a commendable thing done by Philippines.)
Pimentel previously criticized the Office of the Vice President after it admitted to the chamber that it received P125 million confidential allocation from the contingent fund of the OP in 2022.
Meanwhile, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who was also present during the hearing, said if there’s any civilian agency that deserves to have contingency funds, it is the DFA.
He said neighboring countries greatly invest in their foreign affairs offices.
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