Following heated debates at the House of Representatives over the alleged excessive allocation of confidential and intelligence funds in civilian agencies, ranking lawmakers have “collectively” decided to redirect the secret funds to agencies “chiefly responsible for intelligence and surveillance.”
Citing fresh incidents of Chinese aggression, including the Chinese Coast Guard’s installation of physical barriers in Scarborough Shoals, party leaders at the lower chamber said they want confidential and intelligence funds to be reallocated to the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency , National Security Council , Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources .
The Chinese Coast Guard’s installation of a floating device — which the Philippine Coast Guard has since removed — “not only impedes the rights and livelihoods of our Filipino fishermen but also disrupts the prevailing atmosphere of regional peace and collaboration,” the statement read. This development comes after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri vowed last month to explore the potential reallocation of confidential and intelligence funds to the Philippine Coast Guard.
“Our stand is for Congress to abolish Confidential Funds and drastically reduce Intelligence Funds. This is to address the gross and unconscionable inflation of CIF over the years, particularly since the time of the Duterte administration,” the lawmakers said.
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