For House Minority Leader Joseph Stephen "Caraps” Paduano, Congress can override the presidential veto on the provision in the 2021 budget which requires quarterly reports on the utilization of intelligence funds, but if national security is at stake, the reportorial requirement should not be the main concern.
The Abang Lingkod partylist lawmaker explained that while Article 6, Section 27 of the Constitution provides for the procedure to override a veto, safeguarding national security should be prioritized.
“As Commander in Chief, the President has the ultimate responsibility on matters of national security, we are bound to rely in his assessment as he is in possession of information that, apparently, prompted him to make this decision,” he said in a statement.
Citing President Duterte’s veto message, he noted that "all activities involving intelligence gathering that have a direct impact on national security and public safety shall be reported directly” to the Chief Executive, considering that these information are deemed "confidential or classified”.
He recognized that the vetoed provision mandates the submission of quarterly reports on the use of intelligence funds to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate of the Philippines.
"We may either agree or override the veto but as for me, national security is paramount vis a vis the reportorial requirement,” Paduano said.
"In the end, we in Congress are duty-bound to pass upon the veto of the President as provided for in the Constitution" he added.
In a separate statement, Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said the Duterte government is just using "the pretext of national security to justify its shameless and disrespectful acts to avoid the disclosure and transparency that the people demand.”