Groups are calling on Congress to drop all confidential and intelligence funds in next year's budget
Among them is the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands.
The group's President Jose Luis Yulo, Jr. joins us.
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Among them is the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands.
The group's President Jose Luis Yulo, Jr. joins us.
Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/
Follow our social media pages:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines
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• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Well, hundreds of groups are calling on Congress to drop all, all confidential and intelligence
00:05 funds in next year's budget, and among them is the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine
00:09 Islands.
00:10 The group's president, Jose Luis Yulo, Jr., joins us now via Zoom.
00:15 Mr. Yulo, thank you so much for joining us.
00:19 Thank you for having me, Ricardo.
00:21 So do you agree with Vice President Sara who says, "Kung sino man kumukontra sa confidential
00:27 funds ay kumukontra sa kapayapaan?
00:30 Kung sino ang kumukontra sa kapayapaan ay kalaban ng bayan?"
00:37 You know, I think we should take it into a logical understanding of what she's trying
00:45 to say.
00:46 On the contrary, if the confidential fund is used in a way that is detrimental to the
00:53 bayan, if we don't know what it is for, and we don't know the conditions upon which it
00:58 can be used or applied, then it is the other way around.
01:02 By having a confidential fund that is not legally processed, that has no conditions
01:09 attached to it, then on the contrary, that is the kalaban ng bayan.
01:15 Well the VP seems very fearless in her pursuit of the confidential fund.
01:21 Now you're an enemy of the state if you're against the confidential fund, but in earlier
01:26 hearings she would say she could live without confidential funds.
01:30 Why is she contradicting herself now?
01:34 Well I think you can answer the question yourself.
01:38 I think it is very clear.
01:40 If you say confidential fund, it is because you want to keep that fund secret.
01:47 The question is, secret from whom?
01:52 Secret from your co-citizens?
01:56 Secret from your friends?
01:58 Secret from your relatives?
02:00 Or a secret from your enemy because you are using the fund as a bioweapon or as a method
02:08 to defeat your enemy?
02:11 Otherwise what are we using a confidential fund for?
02:16 And it is for your enemy.
02:18 So I don't think there is logic in that statement.
02:21 But if you are against a confidential fund, you are against your country.
02:27 No accountability.
02:28 Maybe when she thinks about it, she will realize that it is totally irrational.
02:35 So Mr. Yulo, your chamber is proposing that all of this confidential funds should be banished,
02:45 should be taken out or should be realigned to key departments that really need it the
02:50 most.
02:52 We should follow the Constitution as Justice Scorpio has already said.
02:59 Section 28, Article 2 of the Constitution clearly states, subject to reasonable conditions
03:07 prescribed by law.
03:09 So therefore, our Congress must first come up with reasonable conditions that you can
03:17 have to justify a confidential fund.
03:21 We must first identify what are the reasonable conditions.
03:26 For example, if we would say we have to find out how we can influence China to stop taking
03:33 over the West Philippine Sea, to find out how we can do it behind the scenes.
03:38 That can be a confidential fund.
03:41 Because it's a secret methodology to find a way, a solution to protect our country.
03:47 So you must first come up with a law defining reasonable conditions for a confidential fund
03:56 without that the confidential fund, the way we look at it from a common sense point of
04:01 view in reading the Constitution, it is very clear confidential funds are not allowed unless
04:09 there is a law that spells out the conditions reasonable for a confidential fund.
04:17 It is very clear you don't have to be a lawyer.
04:20 Just read Section 28, Article 2 of the Constitution.
04:24 For the standard of the Chamber of Commerce, can we please follow our Constitution?
04:30 That is all.
04:31 But the bottom line, Mr. Yulo, who is to be blamed for these confidential funds?
04:38 Because this fiasco wouldn't have arisen in the first place if Congress did not make these
04:45 allocations to the Office of the President and to the Office of the Vice President.
04:51 I think to answer your question, Rico, maybe we can go back to recent history when the
04:58 Priority Development Assistance Fund, or the PDAF, blew up.
05:04 And many people, congressmen and senators, ended up accused and in jail.
05:09 So the question is, why and how did the Priority Development Assistance Fund, or PDAF, even
05:17 come into being?
05:19 That is the answer to your question.
05:21 But of course, if this 125 million pesos spent by the Office of the Vice President in 11
05:28 days did not blow up or was not scrutinized by some lawmakers, then it would be smooth
05:36 sailing again for congressmen and for senators to pass the confidential funds for the Office
05:42 of the Vice President and for the Office of the President.
05:45 Yeah, so in effect, I think we can all say that Congress, Senate, they're not doing their
05:54 jobs.
05:55 Sad to say.
05:57 It's really very sad.
05:58 And this is probably why the Philippines in the 1960s was the pearl of the Orient.
06:04 We were the leading economy in Asia next to Singapore and Japan.
06:11 Our economy, we were richer than China.
06:14 We were richer than Taiwan.
06:16 We were richer than South Korea.
06:21 We were a rich country.
06:23 And today, China has overtaken our economy.
06:27 Taiwan has overtaken us.
06:28 South Korea has overtaken us.
06:30 And in ASEAN, Malaysia has overtaken the Philippines.
06:35 Thailand has overtaken the Philippines.
06:37 Indonesia has taken over the Philippines.
06:40 And in 2021, Vietnam became richer than the Philippines in GDP per capita.
06:48 So there is something wrong in the way our country is being governed.
06:53 That is so clear.
06:55 You don't have to be an intelligent person.
06:57 Common sense will show you there's something wrong.
07:00 We have been left behind.
07:01 Thank you so much for your insights on this confidential and intelligence funds.
07:08 of Commerce of the Philippines Islands President Jose Luis Yulo Jr.