Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Wednesday, September 27 said the Senate will reallocate confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) and other unnecesary appropriations and give it to the Philippine Coast Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and other agencies in charge of national security.

Zubiri made the statement after six political parties in the House of Representatives have expressed their intention to reallocate the proposed CIFs under the 2024 national budget to security agencies responsible for surveillance activities in the West Philippine Sea.

“We have agreed in the Senate to do the same. We also will be reallocating funds that we feel are not necessary for the use of certain agencies and allocate them to our intelligence community as well as our Coast guard and AFP," Zubiri said in a statement.

Asked if the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed P500-million, and the Department of Education’s (DepEd) proposed P150-million CIFs are covered, Zubiri said: “We shall review all agencies.”

In a related development, the Office of the Ombudsman has also expressed its willingness to give up its proposed P51.47-million CIF for next year.

Ombudsman Samuel Martires, during the Senate Committee on Finance's hearing on the Office of the Ombudsman's budget, said he suggested it during the budget deliberations at the House of Representatives.

“That’s what I suggested at the House, if it will taint the integrity and reputation of the Office as well as the Ombudsman, then we’ll give up. We can live without CIF and we can continue investigating cases,” Martires told reporters in an interview at the sidelines at the Senate’s budget hearing.

“For me, let’s just bear in mind that more people are now experiencing difficulty. Let’s just do our work with the funds given to us to the best of our ability without relying on funds given by Congress,” Martires said.

The Ombudsman said his office would accept it should Congress decides to cut or remove their CIF allocation.

“If you are given a smaller blanket, then learn to adjust. That’s what I always say that if you have money, you can buy coffee at Starbucks, but if not, then settle with a brewed coffee that you can buy at a little store,” he said.

“Let’s always remember that more Filipinos have become poor, have nothing to eat. I know each person has a conscience,” he pointed out.

Asked if the Ombudsman will continue its investigation into the use of CIFs, Martires said yes: “We will continue because motu propio investigation is a mandate given to us by law.”

Martires also said the Office of the Ombudsman will include the CIFs of the OVP. “Why not, if there is an anomaly?”

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III welcomed the Ombudsman’s stance on the CIF, making them the third agency to possibly let go of their CIF.

Pimentel was referring to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Both agencies have turned down the opportunity to have a CIF.

“In memory of Sec. Toots Ople, as their secretary said, if she were alive today and she is given a confidential fund, she would have rejected it right away,” Pimentel pointed out.

In response, Martires said that he would like to be the first among the investigating agencies to reject a confidential fund.

“I’ve been saying that if it will only taint the reputation and integrity of the office as well as the Ombudsman and its offices, I’d rather have no confidential fund during my term of office. I think we can survive without the confidential funds,” he said.

Agencies that have CIF requested under the proposed 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP) are the Office of the President, OVP, DepEd, Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Finance (DOF), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Bureau of Customs (BOC), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Justice (DOJ), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), Department of National Defense (DND), AFP, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Office for Transportation Security (OTS), PCG, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), Games and Amusements Board (GAB), National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), National Security Council (NSC), Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Commission on Audit (COA), Ombudsman, and Commission on Human Rights (CHR).