INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
LUCENA CITY — The ecumenical youth group Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) assailed the plan to reallocate confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) to government security agencies.
In a statement sent to the Inquirer on Wednesday, the SCMP raised concern about the reported recipients of the redirected CIF, particularly the National Security Agency (NSC) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA).
“Allocating more confidential and intelligence funds to the NSC and the NICA, which has been responsible for human rights violations, would only worsen the human rights crisis in the country,” said Kej Andres, SCMP national chairperson.
Andres maintained that diverting CIF to NSC and NICA “will only continue these kinds of human rights violations under other agencies, still a misuse of people’s money aimed towards fascism.”
The SMCP sees the move “as a maneuver to get away with the dubious plans of the Marcos Jr. administration.”
“The Marcos-Duterte administration is trying to save face especially if they themselves are not held accountable for their nefarious plans to initially allocate gargantuan confidential funds, especially to civilian agencies,” the group said.
The SMCP urged lawmakers to abolish CIF and instead allocate more funds to basic social services and noted the huge budget cuts for state universities and colleges and the Department of Health.
“Else, the Marcos-Duterte budget for 2024 will remain a budget for fascism and not for answering the people’s prayers for a better way of life,” Andres said.
On Wednesday, leaders of six political parties in the House of Representatives expressed in a joint statement their willingness to reallocate CIF to security agencies responsible for surveillance in West Philippine Sea.
“Given recent provocative incidents in the contested areas, we have decided to reallocate – as part of the budget process – confidential and intelligence funds to other agencies chiefly responsible for intelligence and surveillance such as the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, National Security Council, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources,” the lawmakers said.
Among the lawmakers who signed the joint statement were Michael John Duavit (Rizal 1st District), Johnny Pimentel (Surigao del Sur 2nd District, Eleandro Madrona (Romblon Lone District), Jose “Joboy” Aquino II (Agusan del Norte 1st District, Angelica Natasha Co (BHW Party-list), and Luis Raymund Villafuerte (Camarines Sur 2nd District.
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