House panel set to complete CIF review

MANILA, Philippines — The “small committee” created by the House of Representatives to review the realignment of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) in the proposed national budget for 2024 is expected to complete its task next week.

According to House committee on appropriations senior vice chair and Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, they are still going through the CIF allocations in the proposed National Expenditure Program (NEP).

“It’s more of on the confidential fund and the totality of that is P4.8 billion. It’s not really big if we realign that so … we really need additional sources,” she said at a recent press briefing.

Quimbo said the small committee’s self-imposed deadline to finalize amendments to House Bill 8980 or the 2024 General Appropriations Bill is on Oct. 10.

“What we do in the small committee now is we rationalize the CIF.  We try, to the best of our ability, to correct the allocation of CIF because, as you know, it is the DBM that made the allocation in agencies so we are just correcting the allocation,” she added.

When the House was deliberating on HB 8980, concerns were raised over the allocation of CIFs for some departments and agencies not directly involved in protecting national security.

One of these agencies is the Department of Education, headed by Vice President Sara Duterte, which had an allocation of P150 million in confidential fund.

On Sept. 28, HB 8980 was passed on third and final reading without an amendment but the House would later create the small committee to review the measure and propose amendments concerning CIFs.

Quimbo said their goal is to realign the funds to agencies directly involved in security, especially for the West Philippine Sea.

“We don’t discriminate. We apply the general principles in doing the rationalization of CIF. It’s like we are blind on these agencies and we apply the general principles as uniformly as possible,” she added.

Earlier, Speaker Martin Romualdez denied rumors that politics was involved in the chamber’s plan to reallocate the CIF being sought by Duterte for her two offices.

“I think people are reading too much into it. I think it’s very, very straightforward and simple… Under the circumstances, we felt that it would best be realigned to the agencies and departments (that need them to fulfill their mandate),” he maintained.

No party sanction

Quimbo’s defense of Duterte’s confidential fund and of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) earlier seems to have put her at odds with some of her partymates in the Liberal Party (LP).

In a statement, LP president and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said Quimbo’s backing of the Duterte’s P650 million in secret funds for her two offices and the Marcos administration’s flagship program MIF does not sit well with other party members.

He said Quimbo’s actions have sparked “some clamor” among her partymates to sanction her. But Lagman made it clear that “no sanction” would be imposed on Quimbo.

“Although it has to be noted that she has later conceded that the utilization and audit of secret funds must be made more transparent and officials made more accountable,” Lagman pointed out.

“The enduring tradition of the Liberal Party is to allow its members to take independent views on national issues in recognition of a member’s freedom of expression and dissent,” he added.

The STAR tried to reach Quimbo for comment but she has not responded as of press time.