Labor leader and senatorial candidate Ka Leody de Guzman wants to eliminate confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) allocated to civilian agencies if he becomes a senator.
De Guzman said this during the Super Radyo dzBB’s “Ikaw Na Ba?” senatorial interviews series, where he described the CIF as the new source of pork barrel for corrupt public officials.
For context, lawmakers in Congress have criticized Vice President Sara Duterte and the officials from the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education last year for the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
“Ang una kong gagawin (ay) gagawa agad ako ng bill na ipagbawal na ang confidential fund kasi sa totoo (lang), corruption ‘yan. Iyan ang kapalit ng (Priority Development Assistance Fund) noon,” De Guzman said.
“Kasi hindi puwedeng kuwentahin, hindi puwedeng tanungin… Dapat wala na ‘yan. Dapat transparent ang lahat ng pera na ginagastos ng gobyerno dahil ‘yan ay pera ng bayan. Mayroon na tayong (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency). Mayroong intelligence fund ang police at military. Dapat du’n ibigay at hindi mga civilian na mga tao,” he added.
De Guzman already mentioned last August that Duterte is responsible for how the OVP spent the CIF since they are “public funds” and not personal money.
A House investigation also showed that the OVP and the Department of Education submitted approximately 4,500 acknowledgment receipts to the Commission on Audit to account for their use of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds.
“Kung ayaw depensahan, kahit piso ay huwag paglaanan mula sa kaban ng bayan! Full transparency sa pondo ng gobyerno. Ipagbawal ang ‘confidential’ at ‘unprogrammed’ funds na bagong anyo ng pork barrel para sa patronage politics ng mga trapo,” de Guzman said. (TCSP)
