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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Former diehard Duterte ally Alvarez backs House's realignment of confidential funds 

Former diehard Duterte ally Alvarez backs House's realignment of confidential funds 

Published Oct 24, 2023 09:06 am

At A Glance

  • Partido Reporma Chairman and President Davao del Norte 1st district Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez has sided with House Speaker Martin Romualdez on the issue of confidential funds. 
  • Alvarez served as the House Speaker during the Palace term of Rodrigo Duterte.

20231024_165700.jpgDavao del Norte 1st district Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (Facebook, Malacañang photo)

 

 

 

 

 

 

A one-time ally for former president Rodrigo Duterte has sided with House Speaker Martin Romualdez on the issue of confidential funds. 

According to Partido Reporma Chairman and President Davao del Norte 1st district Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, the realignment of confidential funds under the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024 underscores the House of Representatives' commitment to transparency and accountability in government spending. 

Alvarez was a staunch ally of Duterte during the latter's time as president. The Mindanao congressman is also a former House Speaker and secretary general of the Duterte-led Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). 

"Partido Reporma, a well-established political party known for advocating comprehensive governance reforms, announced its endorsement of efforts to eliminate confidential funds for offices that do not – by their nature and mandate - need it," read a statement from Alvarez, who has had a falling out with Duterte in recent years. 

"Confidential funds play a crucial role in our government, especially in safeguarding our nation's security. Nevertheless, it is imperative that these funds be allocated to an office uniquely equipped, both in terms of mandate and expertise, for their efficient stewardship," said Alvarez. 

"We must ensure that every peso of taxpayer money is spent wisely in a way that ultimately benefits the Filipino people,” he added. 

Alvarez says the supposed confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) is not mission-critical in ending what little remains of the communist threat in the country. "There are proper offices and agencies that addresses this threat as part of their mandate," the statement read. 

The OVP and DepEd are both under Vice President Sara Duterte, the former chief executive’s daughter. 

The House, under its current leader and Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), earlier decided to remove the P650-million confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd in efforts to augment the budget of security and intelligence agencies amid escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea. 

The move didn't sit well with the elder Duterte, despite the House doing the same to nine other agencies' confidential funds. A total of P1.23 billion worth of confidential funds were reallocated. 

Two weeks ago, ex-president Duterte went on television assail the House for stripping his daughter of her confidential funds. He claimed that the Congress was the "most rotten institution" in the country, and that the House under Romualdez should undergo audit. 

The House leadership responded by releasing a spotless audit report from the Commission on Audit (COA).

 

Related Tags

Pantaleon Alvarez Confidential funds Martin Romualdez Rodrigo Duterte Sara Duterte
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