PCG’s intel funds over 11 years equal OVP spending in 11 days

By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter

A STARK comparison was raised by a lawmaker on Tuesday that questioned the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) spending of its P125-million confidential funds in less than 11 days, when it is bigger than the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) intelligence fund allocation for the last 11 years.

“The OVP’s confidential funds spent in 11 days is still higher compared to the combined confidential and intelligence funds of the Philippine Coast Guard for 11 years to defend the West Philippine Sea,” Party-list Rep. Raoul Danniel A. Manuel said during plenary debates for the 2024 national budget.

Shortly before his comment, Party-list Rep. Erwin T. Tulfo, who sponsored the Office of the President (OP)’s budget, said that the PCG intelligence funds remained at P10 million yearly since 2013.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PCG’s spokesman, said in an X (formerly Twitter) post that the coast guard has only received a total of P118.73 million in intelligence funds since 2006.

In a statement, Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel said she was outraged by the fact that the OVP had spent something like P11 million a day.

“Our Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea monitors China’s actions every day. They managed P117 million in confidential funds over 17 years. The OVP couldn’t even make it two weeks,” she said in Filipino.

“We’re back to the same old question: Where did you take the money? The whole Philippines is waiting for receipts,” added the senator. It was apparent that her statement was addressing Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.

At the plenary, Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman said the Department of Budget and Management’s fund transfer of P125-million confidential funds to the OVP is “unconstitutional,” citing Section 25 (5) of Article VI of the Constitution.

The law, he said, “prohibits transfer of funds except with respect to Constitutional officers like the President, relative to savings for augmentation of allocation which are deficient in his office [and] not in any other office.”

“It was admitted that in the President’s contingent fund, the savings in 2022 was only P50 million but the release to the Office of the Vice President was P125 million,” Mr. Lagman said. “In other words, it was not from savings.”

He also said that a fund transfer or release is only possible when there is an “item of appropriation” in the budget. However, the OVP does not have an allocation for confidential funds in the 2022 budget.

“Zero appropriation cannot be augmented,” Mr. Lagman said.

Mr. Tulfo said the President was aware of the fund transfers to the OVP. “I believe the letter was given to the President, and the President saw that letter and it was passed onto the DBM,” he said.

The funds came from the P221.42-million contingent fund that the Office of the President (OP) had approved and released on Dec. 13, 2022, according to the DBM’s special allotment release order.

Mr. Tulfo said the OP approved the fund release because it is “covered under good governance and social services.”

The OP furnished lawmakers and the media a copy of the OVP’s letter dated Aug. 22, 2022, addressed to the Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman.

It stated that the OVP requested a total of P403.46 million to increase the OVP’s medical assistance to its seven satellite offices in Bacolod, Cebu, Dagupan, Davao, Surigao, Tacloban and Zamboanga.

The requested fund was also for the Special Duty Allowance of the Vice-Presidential Security and Protection Group, for the establishment of three additional satellite offices, the Libreng Sakay Program, three food trucks, and for peace-building initiatives in Marawi.