Reallocating secret funds to maritime security a right decision – House reps

Members of a resupply mission approach the grounded naval ship BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, one of the nine outposts guarding the West Philippine Sea. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — Two lawmakers reasserted their stand on Wednesday that the House of Representatives was correct in reallocating confidential funds requested by civilian agencies towards the protection of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) from continued China incursions in the area.

“In these challenging times, we must prioritize the security and well-being of our citizens and assert our rights in the West Philippine Sea. The House of Representatives has indeed done the right thing by reallocating these funds to enhance our nation’s defense capabilities,” Occidental Mindoro Rep. Leody Tarriela said.

He cited a recent incident in the West Philippine Sea to justify giving higher priority to maritime security — which could be achieved by putting bigger funding to defense-oriented agencies.

Tarriela was referring to the Ayungin Shoal incident reported last Sunday involving a Chinese Coast Guard ship that hit an Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)-contracted boat and a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship during a resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre.

BRP Sierra Madre was deliberately run aground at Ayungin Shoal by the Philippine Navy to serve as an outpost for its marines.

Tarriela said the Philippine government should not back down in the face of such a provocation, and defend maritime sovereignty using diplomatic channels.

“Our government must stand firm and do whatever it takes to protect our interests. The House’s reallocation of funds to support our security agencies is a clear message that we will not be bullied or coerced,” he said.

For his part, Davao del Sur Rep. John Tracy Cagas said: “The House of Representatives made the right decision to allocate these funds to our security agencies. This strategic move sends a clear message that we stand ready to defend our territorial integrity and safeguard the well-being of our citizens amidst the growing challenges in the West Philippine Sea.”

“We cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to safeguarding our sovereignty and territorial waters. The House’s reallocation of funds to our security agencies is a strong move to fortify our position,” he added.

Reallocations

Last Oct. 10, the small committee tasked by the House to resolve individual amendments announced that P1.23 billion worth of confidential funds (CF) in civilian agencies under the 2024 General Appropriations Bill would be removed and reallocated to offices securing the West Philippine Sea.

These reallocations are as follows:

• Office of the Vice President (OVP): P500 million
• Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT): P300 million
• Department of Education (DepEd): P150 million
• Department of Justice (DOJ-Office of the Secretary): P88.65 million
• Office of the Ombudsman: P50.46 million
• Department of Agriculture (DA): P50 million
• Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA): P50 million
• Bureau of Customs (BOC): P30.5 million
• Office of the Solicitor General (OSG): P9.2 million
• Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU): P6 million
• Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC): P2.5 million

Of these agencies, OVP, DICT, DepEd, DA, and DFA received zero allocation of confidential funds.

While a lot of people and opposition figures praised the House for that decision, it then came under attack from allies and supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte, who heads both OVP and DepEd.

The vice president’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, called the House a “rotten organization” — which was disputed by lawmakers and House officials who said that the Commission on Audit had not issued any document indicating unclean records.

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