HEADLINE-CORRUPTION | MANILA- Confidential, intel funds get P9.2 billion in 2024 budget

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MANILA, Philippines — The national government has earmarked some P9.2 billion in confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) in the proposed P5.768-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for next year, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said yesterday.

A total of P4.3 billion is allocated for confidential funds while P4.9 billion is for intelligence funds “across all agencies,” according to Pangandaman.

“This is almost the same as the 2023 level,” she said at a press briefing after submitting the 2024 NEP titled “Agenda for prosperity: Securing a future-proof and sustainable economy” to Speaker Martin Romualdez yesterday for chamber deliberations.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) chief added that of the P9.2 billion, President Marcos or the Office of the President (OP) stands to get P4.5 billion while some P500 million is allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and P1.7 billion to the Department of National Defense.

For the second year, the Department of Education (DepEd) headed by Vice President Sara Duterte will again get confidential funds amounting to P150 million for 2024, the same as for this year.

Pangandaman gave assurance that agencies receiving CIFs are still required to follow certain guidelines on how to use the funds.

“It’s not that they can actually disburse and use the funds the way they want to. There are documents that they have to submit to the COA (Commission on Audit) with breakdown (on how they spent it),” she said.

Based on the 2024 NEP documents, a total of P10,646,573,000 is proposed for the OP. This includes P1,222,391,000 for personnel services (PS); P7,746,977,000 for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOEs) and P1,676,205,000 for capital outlays.

Under the MOOEs are the confidential expenses amounting to P2,250,000; extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses of P23,864 and P2,310,000 in intelligence expenses.

The figures are the same as those for this year, except for extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses which is P23,525 for 2023.

A budget of P2,374,019,000 has been proposed for the OVP. This includes P181,325,000 for PS; P2,151,444 for MOOE and P41,250,000 for capital outlays.

Top 10 allocations

As per practice and tradition, education – which covers the DepEd, Commission on Higher Education and state universities and colleges – takes the lion’s share of the budget pie, which includes automatic appropriations, with P924.7 billion, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (P822.2 billion), Department of Health (P306.1 billion), Department of the Interior and Local Government (P259.5 billion), Department of National Defense (P232.2 billion), Department of Transportation (P214.3 billion), Department of Social Welfare and Development (P209.9 billion), Department of Agriculture (held in a concurrent capacity by Marcos, P181.4 billion), judiciary (P57.8 billion) and Departments of Labor and Employment and Migrant Workers (P40.5 billion).

Out of the total P5.7-trillion budget, 37.9 percent will go to social services with a combined allocation of P2.183 trillion, with economic services second at about 29.6 percent or P1.7 trillion.

Twelve percent, or P699.2 billion, has been reserved for debt burden; 15.5 percent (P893.3 billion) for general public services, while a small portion of 4.9 percent (P282.7 billion) is earmarked for defense capabilities.

Pangandaman said the government is also prepared for any contingency with the P9-billion El Niño buffer stocking program, while a separate P1.4 trillion has been allocated for the Build Better More infrastructure projects that will physically interconnect public transport.

At the same time, the DBM chief explained that the Marcos administration aims to “strengthen the purchasing power” of Filipinos in light of recurring inflation, reduce the cost of transport and logistics, energy costs, as well as “expand the access” to quality and affordable health care.

Asked how the House of Representatives will guard against lobbyists and insertions, appropriations committee senior vice chair and Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo said the chamber would be exercising transparency in going through the NEP.

Quimbo added that the proceedings would be open to scrutiny as the media are always invited to cover them.

The appropriations panel is headed by Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.

Romualdez commended the DBM for submitting the government spending plan “less than 10 days” ahead of the 30-day requirement under the 1987 Constitution, which will give congressmen more time to evaluate the proposed budget.

The House appropriations committee has scheduled the first 2024 budget hearing on Aug. 10, and deliberations are expected to wrap up before Congress goes on recess on Sept. 30.

Amid these developments, Romualdez assured the public that “every centavo of the national budget will be spent wisely and contribute to our goal of reigniting the fires of our economic forges.”

P756.8 billion for DepEd

The Marcos administration has proposed a budget of P756.8 billion, which includes automatic appropriations, for the DepEd – the second highest among national government agencies after the DPWH.

Based on the 2024 NEP submitted to Congress, the proposed budget for DepEd, while higher than this year’s P676.1 billion, is lower than the DPWH’s P822.2 billion.

The DPWH had an approved budget of P893.1 billion this year.

Bulk of the proposed budget for the DepEd – P552.8 billion – will go to personnel services or those used for salaries, wages and other compensation.

With almost one million employees, primarily teaching and non-teaching personnel in public schools, the DepEd is considered the largest bureaucracy in the government.

If approved without changes, the DepEd will receive P141.6 billion next year for MOOEs.

Some P48 billion is allocated for capital outlay or those used to acquire or maintain assets, including new infrastructure and equipment.

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P146.7 billion for public health

Learning from the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, the national government is allocating some P146.7 billion to ensure “reliable and accessible quality public health services for all,” the DBM said yesterday.

The government has “refocused its health priorities” in the proposed 2024 NEP, according to Pangandaman.

In the NEP, the DOH’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program will be provided with P22.98 billion for the construction, rehabilitation and upgrading of health facilities, rural health units and polyclinics, as well as the purchase of medical equipment and transport vehicles.

Pangandaman noted that the government would also continue to expand access to quality health services by subsidizing the health premiums of the vulnerable sector through the National Health Insurance Program with P101.51 billion.

She added that some P1.31 million is earmarked for the medical assistance of indigent patients, while P22.26 million is set aside for “financially incapacitated” patients.

To ensure the country’s food security and food nutrition for Filipinos, some P101 billion has been set aside in the proposed national budget for next year, which will continue to support programs that boost the local production of major agricultural commodities, according to Pangandaman.

This includes the National Rice Program, which is given P30.9 billion.

“Higher investments will also be provided for agricultural support services, such as irrigation with P31.18 billion and the construction and rehabilitation of fish ports across the country with P4.94 billion,” the DBM chief said. — Delon Porcalla