MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte is dropping her request for a combined P650 million in confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), stating that she must move on from such a “divisive” issue.
She made the statement to the Senate yesterday, amid claims that senators opted to realign the confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd, both of which she concurrently governs, as well as those of other civilian agencies that do not have security roles.
Senate finance committee chair Sen. Sonny Angara accompanied Duterte upon her arrival at the Senate for the deliberations on the 2024 budgets of the two agencies.
“We’re in receipt of a statement from the Vice President. According to her, the OVP can only propose a budget to support the safe implementation of its activities and programs,” Angara said.
“Nonetheless, they will no longer pursue the confidential fund, and the reason why is because it is seen to be divisive. As the Vice President, she swore an oath to keep the country peaceful and strong,” he added.
Sen. Pia Cayetano, the budget sponsor, reiterated President Duterte’s statement that she is dropping her request for P150 million in confidential funds for the department during yesterday’s plenary deliberation on the DepEd’s budget.
Cayetano said according to the transmitted budget bill, DepEd’s secret fund request of P150 million was realigned by the House of Representatives to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Program.
“DepEd will no longer pursue the confidential fund. We humbly request that the fund is realigned to the national learning recovery program. We do not expect good scores in the PISA results coming out this December,” Cayetano said, referring to the Program for International Student Assessment.
After deliberations, the proposed 2024 budgets of the OVP and the Office of the President easily hurdled the plenary and was adopted by the Senate, inching nearer to approval.
During the debate, Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III also questioned the OP’s request for P2.31-billion intelligence funds when it is not a uniformed or military agency.
But Angara said the President is in need of intelligence funds as both user and source of confidential information, as well as for his role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Meanwhile Pimentel said he has no problem with the OP’s request for P2.25 billion confidential funds even though it is a civilian government agency, as long as these are spent on surveillance in support of its programs and activities.
