Starting September until this month of October, Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte are facing scrutiny due to issues surrounding confidential and intelligence funds.
In her defense before Congress, she requested 500 million and 150 million for the Office of the Vice President and DepEd, respectively. This was approved by the House of Representatives under what is called the Rule of Majority or Tyranny of Majority.
What we expected to be the guardians of the people seem to have become representatives of a few wealthy and powerful individuals, under the guise of what we call parliamentary courtesy. The question arises: are our public servants in Congress truly the voice of the people?
The entire budget for VP Sara was passed in the House without any deductions from her proposal. However, the House Speaker Martin Romualdez and his colleagues seem to have changed their tone, indicating that they expect to scrutinize her confidential and intelligence funds during the small committee deliberations and at the bicameral conference.
In a recent press conference by the House Speaker, it appears that these funds will be reallocated to agencies with a legitimate mandate for intelligence gathering, particularly regarding the current issues in the West Philippine Sea related to territorial disputes. They also plan to turn the area into a tourist spot and have various other plans.
It seems that the Makabayan group and Senator Risa Hontiveros have successfully brought VP Sara’s confidential and intelligence funds under scrutiny. The sponsor and the VP’s office couldn’t provide clear answers on how the funds were spent, especially when her allocation of 135 million last year was spent within just 11 days.
This was a surprising revelation, which prompted VP Sara’s defense in Congress. Last Friday, sensing that her confidential and intelligence funds might be taken away, she made remarks during a Teachers’ Day event. “She implied that those against the confidential and intelligence fund were not allies of the people and were against peace”.
It appears that VP Sara did not listen to the pulse of the people. She is being questioned about the exorbitant amount of these funds and the repeated requests for them, without clear explanations of their expenditures.
In response, VP Sara seemed to change her stance from her initial statement that they could survive without the confidential fund but it would be better to have it, leaving the matter to Congress since they hold the power of the purse.
This suggests that her earlier statement that it’s okay not to have the fund was not a serious reason but rather a pretense. If VP Sara truly desires projects, why not request funding for them transparently instead of using the term “confidential fund”? This has raised significant questions due to the lack of proper reporting and unclear explanations.
In total, thanks to the few opposition figures in Congress, such as Congressman Edcel Lagman, the Makabayan group, Risa Hontiveros, and Koko Pimentel, who have scrutinized the confidential and intelligence funds, there is now a chance for transparency and accountability in these funds. Without these opposition voices, our elected officials would remain oblivious to the truth.
Starting September until this month of October, Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte are facing scrutiny due to issues surrounding confidential and intelligence funds.
In her defense before Congress, she requested 500 million and 150 million for the Office of the Vice President and DepEd, respectively. This was approved by the House of Representatives under what is called the Rule of Majority or Tyranny of Majority.
What we expected to be the guardians of the people seem to have become representatives of a few wealthy and powerful individuals, under the guise of what we call parliamentary courtesy. The question arises: are our public servants in Congress truly the voice of the people?
The entire budget for VP Sara was passed in the House without any deductions from her proposal. However, the House Speaker Martin Romualdez and his colleagues seem to have changed their tone, indicating that they expect to scrutinize her confidential and intelligence funds during the deliberations.
In a recent press conference by the House Speaker, it appears that these funds will be reallocated to agencies with a legitimate mandate for intelligence gathering, particularly regarding the current issues in the West Philippine Sea related to territorial disputes. They also plan to turn the area into a tourist spot and have various other plans.
It seems that the Makabayan group and Senator Risa Hontiveros have successfully brought VP Sara’s confidential and intelligence funds under scrutiny. The sponsor and the VP’s office couldn’t provide clear answers on how the funds were spent, especially when her allocation of 135 million last year was spent within just 11 days.
This was a surprising revelation, which prompted VP Sara’s defense in Congress. Last Friday, sensing that her confidential and intelligence funds might be taken away, she made remarks during a Teachers’ Day event. “She implied that those against the confidential and intelligence fund were not allies of the people and were against peace”.
It appears that VP Sara did not listen to the pulse of the people. She is being questioned about the exorbitant amount of these funds and the repeated requests for them, without clear explanations of their expenditures.
In response, VP Sara seemed to change her stance from her initial statement that they could survive without the confidential fund but it would be better to have it, leaving the matter to Congress since they hold the power of the purse.
This suggests that her earlier statement that it’s okay not to have the fund was not a serious reason but rather a pretense. If VP Sara truly desires projects, why not request funding for them transparently instead of using the term “confidential fund”? This has raised significant questions due to the lack of proper reporting and unclear explanations.
In total, thanks to the few opposition figures in Congress, such as Congressman Edcel Lagman, the Makabayan group, Risa Hontiveros, and Koko Pimentel, who have scrutinized the confidential and intelligence funds, there is now a chance for transparency and accountability in these funds. Without these opposition voices, our elected officials would remain oblivious to the truth.
In the recent news House gives zero confidential funds to OVP, DepEd, DICT, DFA, DA.
God Bless the Philippines!
FB-EYE | BY: FERDZ M. BRIZO | BICOL PERYODIKO NEWSPAPER WEEKLY |
