Speaker Martin Romualdez —Photo from Official Facebook Page of Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez
Speaker Martin Romualdez on Thursday said that some of the government’s confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) would be better used by agencies safeguarding the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Romualdez spoke to reporters in Makati City following his first trip to Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, the biggest of nine islands and reefs occupied by Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea, accompanied by Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, who chairs the House appropriations panel, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe and House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan.
“We would like to make sure that the confidential and intelligence funds are most properly utilized by agencies and departments that are best suited particularly in these aspects of deploying the proper resources and personnel for the promotion of peace and security, so we feel that we have to look at the West Philippine Sea,” Romualdez told reporters.
He added that the House had “to provide more resources in these areas through the proper agencies and departments.”
First time
It was the first time that Romualdez spoke on the controversial CIF, following the criticisms of the use of secret funds by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education under Vice President Sara Duterte.
He was reiterating a call from House party leaders last week who wanted confidential funds from several state entities to be realigned to agencies directly involved in protecting the West Philippine Sea.
The confidential funds for civilian agencies are “best left” with those that need it more and these funds could be used in the development of Pag-asa, the largest island in the Kalayaan Island Group, Romualdez said.
He said he saw the need to also “revisit” the public works budget, citing repairs needed by the airstrip at Pag-asa and the construction of a port on the island.
The House leader acknowledged how the West Philippine Sea in the past weeks had been the center of attention following recent incidents and incursions involving Chinese forces, specifically those that affect the fisherfolk in traditional Filipino fishing grounds.
The overall confidential and intelligence funds requested by the government in the 2024 national budget bill is P10 billion. Of the amount, P4.8 billion are confidential funds.
Small committee
Co said that apart from the confidential funds, a “small committee” of the House that was formed to consider amendments from individual lawmakers in the budget bill would also have to look at other possible sources to provide more funds in developing Pag-asa Island.
“We would like to recommend not only the confidential and intelligence funds and it is only a small part of the funds and what we are looking at is to do much more for Pag-asa Island, to invest more,” Romualdez said.
In response to the Speaker, Co confirmed that the “small committee” was also discussing sourcing more funds from other items in the budget and not just the secret funds.
Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, who joined Romualdez and the others in the press conference, said that the P4.8 billion in confidential funds in the national budget was “not that big.”
“As we realign that [confidential fund], we need additional sources and we already set a deadline to ourselves to determine the sources of these funds on Oct. 10,” Quimbo said.
To develop all features being occupied by the Philippines in the Kalayaan Island Group, Brawner said the military needed around P9 billion for developing facilities on these outposts.
Romualdez, however, said the House will try to allocate at least P3 billion for the development projects in Pag-asa alone, acknowledging it as the seat of the Kalayaan group of islands.
The source for this amount will be taken from the confidential funds, he said.