The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives resumed its probe into past confidential and intelligence funds expenditures by the Office of the Vice President (OVP), driving Sara Duterte into a familiar aggressive stance in the ongoing budget hearing.
In the 2025 budget deliberations for her office today, Duterte immediately refused questions from House appropriations committee members.
“I would like to forgo the opportunity to defend the budget in the question and answer format. I would leave it to the House to decide on the budget submitted,” Duterte said after her opening statement.
Duterte is seeking a budget of P2.037 billion for 2025, an increase from the P1.885 billion for this year.
Committee vice chairperson and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo however went ahead with the usual hearing format, leading to Duterte tangling with Makabayan bloc representatives Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of ACT Teachers, House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, and Kabataan Representative Raoul Manuel.
Castro asked Duterte about her confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) worth P125 million in 2022, of which P30million were spent on “tables, chairs, desktop computers.”
“Can you explain why these were purchased?” Castro asked.
Duterte however refused to answer the question and tried to direct the discussion instead to the lack of confidential funds request for next year.
Legislators regularly ask how agencies have spent previous years’ budgets as part of their deliberation of requested funds.
Castro also quizzed Duterte about how the P125 million in confidential funds were spent in just over 11 days, P72 million of which the Commission on Audit said were not used in accordance with Joint Circular No. 15-01.
The COA has subsequently ordered the return of the amount to the government.
Irritably, Duterte asked why Castro, recently controversially convicted of “other forms of child abuse” in connection with her rescue mission of evacuating Indigenous children in Mindanao, is allowed to speak in the hearing.
Castro was quick with a quip of her own, saying: “Kapag nasusukol na ang pusit ay naglalabas ng maitim na tinta. Ayaw natin ng ganoon. Ang pinag-uusapan dito ay budget. Huwag naman mag-ugaling pusit ang Office of the Vice President.”
(A squid is quick to squirt black ink when cornered. We do not like that here. We’re talking about the budget here. The OVP shouldn’t employ squid tactics.)
Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel for his part revealed that then Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte used confidential funds in partnership with various military units to finance red-tagging activities in 2023.
Manuel said DepEd distributed pamphlets in so-called ‘Youth Leadership Summits’ and ‘Information Education Campaigns’ ordering those wearing “Serve the People” t-shirts should be reported.
“It seems it is DepEd’s accomplishment to endanger students and teachers’ lives,” Manuel said
It was the Makabayan bloc that first questioned the confidential and intelligence funds of the vice president that led to the eventual disallowance of such funds from her agencies in last year’s budget hearings.
It’s not only with the Makabayan representatives that Duterte displayed irritability, repeatedly interrupting Quimbo and even asking the appropriations committee be replaced with the finance committee in handling her budget request.
Last week, Duterte also picked a quarrel with Sen. Risa Hontiveros about her P10 million request for her controversial children’s book.
Unacceptable
Outside the House of Representatives, activist groups led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) condemned the proposed 2025 General Appropriations Act of the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government that “features massive allocations for pork barrel programs and other items that can be used by politicians ahead of the midterm elections.”
Specifically, Bayan highlighted the presidential pork barrel amounting to two trillion pesos it said should instead be spent for social services.
“This includes the confidential and intelligence funds (P10 billion), unprogrammed funds (P156 billion), and special purpose funds (P1.89 trillion). These are all lump sum items which means their distribution is based on the discretion of the president,” Bayan said.
These funds can be used by Marcos Jr. for political patronage to consolidate power and dominate the 2025 elections,” it added.
Bayan said it is unacceptable that politicians are rewarding themselves with pork barrel funds at a time when there is rising hunger, poverty, and joblessness in the country.
The proposed budget reflects not just the distorted priorities of the government but also the systemic appropriation of public funds for shameless aggrandizement of those in power, it pointed out.
“Congress should realign the presidential pork barrel to ensure cheaper price of food, particularly rice, and accessible social services. The budget should also include adequate funding to compensate victims of flooding, EL Nino, and other disasters,” Bayan said.
Aside from Marcos Jr., Bayan also scored Duterte it said should be held accountable for her questionable use of her CIF in 2022.
“Even if the CIF of Sara Duterte has been withdrawn, her office should not be given funds for programs that are not part of her mandate or projects that are intended for her personal benefit,” Bayan said.
