Senator Francis Tolentino on Thursday, November 9 urged the Senate to craft a law that would set guidelines and parameters concerning the use of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF).

During the plenary debates on the proposed national budget for 2024, Tolentino said it is imperative for the Senate to clarify and set the guidelines concerning the reasonable use of CIFs.

The Senate, he said, must amend Joint Circular 2015-01 issued by the Commission on Audit (COA) and other executive offices following questions on the Executive’s decision to provide CIFs to agencies with no clear mandate to provide security.

“The Congress, the Senate can, and should amend the joint circular because the joint circular as perceived by this representation is not by virtue of a valid delegation of legislative power. We cannot abdicate, Mr. President,” Tolentino said during his interpellation on the budget.

“This is power over the purse so binigay na po natin lahat sa kanila, sila yung nag define (so we gave everything to them, and they are the ones who define),” he said of the joint circular dated Jan. 08, 2015 and which refers to confidential activities, and intelligence practitioners.

“We (Congress) should be the one doing the guidelines and parameters. Perhaps it is about time that we pursue legislation, giving flesh and muscles to the provision of Section 28, Article 2 of the 1987 Constitution, defining the reasonable condition prescribed by law,” Tolentino said.

The senator said he believes all lawmakers’ concerns about the appropriation of confidential funds to certain agencies and departments will be fixed if Congress enacts a law putting into effect the spirit of this constitutional provision.

“Otherwise, we will be continuously delegating our legislative function to an inter-agency committee which would, if time passes by, be considered as abdication of our legislative function,” he pointed out.