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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider House gives final nod to P5.768-T budget for 2024 amid CIF drama

House gives final nod to P5.768-T budget for 2024 amid CIF drama

Published Sep 27, 2023 02:43 pm

At A Glance

  • With confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) being the dominant talking point, the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading on Wednesday night, Sept. 27 the P5.768-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or proposed national budget for 2024. 

20230715_182553-01.jpeg(MANILA BULLETIN)

 

 

 

 

 

With confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) being the dominant talking point, the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading on Wednesday night, Sept. 27 the P5.768-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or proposed national budget for 2024. 

No less than House Speaker Martin Romualdez declared at past 10 p.m. the final approval of the GAB--embodied in House Bill (HB) No. 8980--after the budget measure garnered 296 affirmative votes. 

The three-member Makabayan bloc--who have been calling for the abolition of CIFs in the GAB since the budget process began this year--all voted in the negative during nominal voting. Nobody else did. 

There were no abstentions to the 2024 GAB--the largest in the country’s history, and the second full-year outlay of President Marcos' administration.

The House was able to pass the GAB on second reading and third reading succesively on the same night, thanks to a Palace certification of the bill's urgency. 

Before either took place, Deputy Majority Leader Pangasinan 6th district Rep. Marlyn Primias-Agabas moved to "create small committee to receive and resolve all individual amendments to HB No. 8980". She said this was "consistent with our parliamentary precedent". 

Designated as members of the small committee were Commitee on Appropriations Chairman Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, and Senior Vice Chairperson Marikina City 2nd Rep. Stella Quimbo; Committee on Rules Chairman Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe of Zamboanga City's 2nd district; and Minority Leader 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan. 

Agabas told the congressmen to submit their indivual amendments to the small committee not later than Sept. 29. 

Voting "no" to the GAB were ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel. 

During the House plenary debates on the budget, the trio made it a point to laud departments or agencies that didn't seek CIFs in their 2024 spending plans. At the same time, they grilled these officials of the agencies that were earmarked with the special lump sum funds, even making them feel guilty at times. 

But it's Vice President Sara Duterte and her agencies' allocation of P650-million confidential funds that the Makabayan solons took a huge interest in. The figure is broken down into P500 million for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and P150 million for the Department of Education (DepEd). 

And then there's the P125-million confidential funds that the OVP allegedly spent in just 19 days...or was it 11 days? At any rate, Makabayan claimed that the spending spree was largely unexplained, and there were signs that a good portion of the public thought so as well. 

Just a few hours before the 2024 GAB's passage, Committee on Appropriations Chairman Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co confirmed that the P650 million confidential funds under Duterte would be among those that would be realigned to several intelligence and security agencies in a bid to counter the "escalating threats in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)". 

The recipient agencies include the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and the National Security Council (NSC). The CIFs of other civilian departments--supposedly to be named later--would be realigned for this purpose. 

Co said the reallocation of CIFs in the national budget was the "collective decision" of House party leaders in light of China's virtual blockade of Filipino fishermen via floating barriers in Scarborough Shoal.  

Whether or not this move from the House leadership has bookended the CIF issue remains to be seen.

 

 

 

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National Budget general appropriations bill Martin Romualdez
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