00:00Confidential and intelligence funds are now at risk again.
00:10Did you know that in 2011, only P700 million was invested, but now, more than P4 billion is invested in 2024?
00:17What is that? And why is it dangerous if it is not monitored?
00:22We will answer this in the GMA Integrated News Explainer with Sandra Aguinaldo.
00:28When it comes to the spending of confidential funds,
00:36whenever the national budget is discussed in Congress,
00:39confidential and intelligence funds or CIF are always heard.
00:44The intelligence fund is a fund given to security agencies.
00:49The confidential fund, on the other hand, is a fund given to civilian government agencies.
00:55Under the 2024 budget, for example, 21 confidential funds worth P4.11 billion were given,
01:06including the Office of the President, DNR, DILG, DOJ, and others.
01:11Under the Joint Circular 2015-01 of the COA, DBM, DILG, DND, and GOCC Commission,
01:21there is a particular use of this fund.
01:24This includes the purchase of necessary information for the implementation of a program,
01:29activity, or project related to national security and peace and order,
01:34rental of vehicles for confidential activities, rental of safe houses, payment of rewards to informers, and others.
01:43The traditional concept is for intelligence or confidential,
01:49where it is the only agency that can do it.
01:54But now that the NGA and the LGU have expanded, confidential or sometimes intelligence funds can also be given.
02:04It would be better if we look at the purpose of their request for confidential or intelligence funds.
02:14Unlike other government funds, the use of the CIF is no longer valid because it is confidential or secret.
02:22It cannot be given to the public, so it is dangerous to abuse it.
02:26The expansion of the concept of confidential and intelligence fund is like, sad to say, a pork barrel.
02:33If the one who will blame is subordinate to the head, they will not have the strength to blame.
02:42According to the Joint Circular, all cash advance for confidential and intel funds must be liquidated within 30 days after each quarter,
02:52or from the approved target date of completion, or after the cash advance is used up.
02:57According to former COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza, there are documentary requirements that must be submitted,
03:03like the liquidation report, documentary evidence of payment, certification of the head of agency, copy of physical and financial plan, and others.
03:12This is not just an issue of how much to give and where to give.
03:16This is also an issue of who should be given.
03:19When you issue a certification, it is included in your oath when you promised to serve the government.
03:26There is no clear data on when the issuance of confidential funds to civilian agencies started.
03:32But in 2015, there was a clear indication of the use of it.
03:37In the past few years, the allocation of confidential funds is increasing.
03:42In a survey by GME Integrated News Research, from almost P753 million in 2011,
03:50it reached more than P2 billion in 2017.
03:55By the end of 2020, it reached P4.57 billion.
04:00In 2023, under the current administration, it reached P4.8 billion.
04:07And the amount decreased to P4.11 billion this year.
04:12For the next year, there is P4.37 billion that the government is asking for confidential funds.
04:20There are already several amendments to make it easier to compensate for the expenses of confidential funds.
04:28For the large amount of money that is being used here,
04:30the former Commissioner Mendoza said that the citizens should be compensated
04:35because this fund is from the citizens.
04:40Who should be given up to such amount,
04:44and to screen the so-called program,
04:49if it is really related to national security.
04:52We should think that every budget of the country is the contribution of every citizen.
04:58That's why we need to monitor.
05:00For GMA Integrated News, Sandra Aguinaldo, for Tutok, 24 hours.
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