Ito ang pahayag ni ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro sa alokasyon na P10.14 billion sa ilalim ng P5.768 trillion 2024 proposed national budget para sa confidential and intelligence funds (CIF).
Ayon kay Castro, maraming ahensya ang hindi kailangan ng intel fund ngunit nakapagtataka na nakapaloob ito sa taunang budget.
“Civilian offices and agencies with no business in intelligence gathering or law enforcement are given so much presidential pork in the form of CIF. For example, the Office of the Vice-President again is proposing P500 million confidential funds and the Department of Education is asking for another P150 million confidential funds, all under the control and discretion of the Vice President,” pahayag ni Castro.
“The largest CIF or presidential pork is under President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. with P4.56 billion and instead of slashing the CIF for 2024, the Marcos administration even increased it by P120 million more,” dagdag pa nito.
Sinabi ni Castro na ang bilyong pondo ay maaari sanang ginamit na lang sa social services.
“Lubog na nga ang bansa sa utang at napakaraming mga social services na dapat pondohan pero mas inuuna pa ang pork,” ani Castro.
Pinuna din ni Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas ang CIF allocation Office of the President (OP) na isang civilian office subalit mas mataas pa ang intel funds kaysa sa Department of National Defense,
“Sa gitna ng matinding krisis, mababang sahod at kagutuman, patuloy ang paglalaan ng dambuhalang pondo para sa confidential at intelligence funds. Kaya mahirap sabihing ‘Agenda for Prosperity’ ng 2024 budget. Hindi mangyayari ang sinasabing ‘future-proof and sustainable economy’ kung patuloy ang paglalaan ng bilyong pondo para sa confidential at intelligence funds which are vulnerable to corruption,” ani Brosas.
Una nang dinipensahan ni Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman ang CIF allocation, aniya, bulto ng nasabing pondo ay para sa Department of Information and Communications Technology, Presidential Security Group at Anti-Money Laundering Council.
Ang nasabing pondo umano ay isasailalim din sa audit ng Commission on Audit (COA). Gail Mendoza
