Comelec commissioners want intel fund removed from 2017 budget

Poll commissioners are asking the Senate’s finance committee to exclude any confidential or intelligence funds from the Commission on Election’s proposed budget for next year.

This was after the Comelec’s six commissioners learned that the House of Representatives approved a P1 million intelligence fund, despite the commissioners’ stand not to request for it.

This was stated in a letter the poll officials wrote to Sen. Loren Legarda, finance committee chairperson, dated Oct. 24.

“We hope that you can help us ensure that no such confidential fund of any amount is included in our 2017 budget. It is unnecessary and can be a source of graft and corruption,” they said.

The letter was signed by Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon, who furnished the Inquirer a copy of the letter, and commissioner Christian Robert Lim.

Guanzon told the Inquirer that the commissioners learned of the House’s approval of the intelligence fund which they claimed was not included in their proposed budget.

The Comelec has a proposed budget of P 3.3 billion as indicated in the proposed National Expenditure Program for 2017.

“The information that a P1 million confidential fund was added came as a surprise,” the two commissioners said in their letter, adding that the Comelec has billions in savings from which it can get such funds if needed.

The two commissioners maintained that any intelligence fund should be removed from the Comelec’s 2017 budget, in accordance with the policy adopted by the en banc last Sept. 6.

“During our September 6 en banc meeting presided by Lim, all six commissioners passed a resolution (with chairperson Andres Bautista on official business), that as a matter of policy, the Comelec does not want any confidential fund forming part of our budget,” the letter said.