MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives has made an important decision on Tuesday, October 10, regarding confidential fund requests for 2024 from several government agencies, including those under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte.
In the 2024 draft general appropriations act, five government agencies saw their proposed confidential funds denied by the House.
The agencies and their confidential fund requests are as follows:
- P300 million – Department of Information and Communications Technology
- P150 million – Department of Education
- P500 million – Office of the Vice President
- P50 million – Department of Agriculture
- P50 million – Department of Foreign Affairs
This makes the total amount of confidential funds initially requested up to P1 billion
In a statement Congressman Zaldy Co, vice chairperson of the appropriations committee, said that a total of P1.2 billion in confidential funds were moved to agencies at the forefront of efforts to assert the Philippines’ territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea.
These agencies include:
- P150 million – Department of Education (DepEd)on
- P50 million – Office of the Ombudsman
- P30 million – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
- P30 million – Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
- P25 million – Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)
Included in the committee that proposed these amendments are Co, Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, Mannix Dalipe (Zamboanga City), and Nonoy Libanan (4Ps) finalized these amendments already two weeks after the House approved the 2024 general appropriations act.
The amendments come after a public outrcry against the massive amounts of confidential funds, whose audits are not subject to publication by the Commission on Audit.
The House’s decision to deny confidential funds for 2024 to Vice President Sara Duterte was initially revealed on September 27.
This move was made following China’s placement of a 300-meter floating barrier in the southeast part of Bajo de Masinloc, preventing Filipino fishermen from accessing the area.
