INALIS ng House of Representatives ang P1.23 bilyong halaga ng confidential funds ng limang ahensiya, kabilang ang Office of the Vice President (OVP) at Department of Education (DepEd), sa ilalim ng P5.768-trillion budget for 2024.
Sinabi ni House Committee on Appropriations senior vice chairperson Stella Quimbo na naganap ito matapos magkasundo ang House small panel na ilipat ang P194 bilyon sa 2024 national budget — kabilang ang P1.23 bilyong confidential fundsa ibang sangay ng gobyerno upang tugunan ang pagtaas ng pangunahing bilihin, pagpapaunlad at proteksiyon ng West Philippine Sea.
“Our panel introduced P194 billion worth of institutional amendments. The main goal was to rationalize the allocation of resources to fight inflation, invest in human capital and in our country’s future,” sabi ni Quimbo press briefing.
“We believe that the House of Representatives is on the right side of history,” dagdag pa ni Quimbo.
Maliban sa OVP at DepEd, ang iba pang ahensiya na tinanggalan ng confidential fund allocation ay ang Department of Agriculture, Department of Information and Communications Technology, at Department of Foreign Affairs.
Dahil dito, ang P1.23 bilyon ay mapupunta sa:
P300 milyon sa National Intelligence Coordinating Agency;
P100 milyon sa National Security Council;
P200 milyon sa Philippine Coast Guard para sa intelligence at ammunition; at P381.8 milyon sa Department of Transportation (DOTr) para sa airport development/expansion of Pag-asa Island Airport.
Ang DepEd ay pinamumunuan ni Vice President Sara Duterte habang ang DA ay hinahawakan ngayon ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.,
Umaasa naman si House Committee on Appropriations panel chairman Elizady Co, na sasang-ayon ang Senado sa desisyon ng Kongreso.
“I have heard them saying we will follow our colleagues [in pushing for such amendments], and I also heard that they had an executive committee meeting [on the issue],” sabi ni Co.
