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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider DBM: DepEd allocated confidential funds to priority programs

DBM: DepEd allocated confidential funds to priority programs

Published Jan 20, 2024 07:27 am

At A Glance

  • Budget Chief Amenah F. Pangandaman said that the Department of Education's (DepEd) request for confidential funds was realigned to its voucher program and other priority projects.<br>Vice President Sara Duterte last year requested over P650 million in confidential funds for the 2024 budget–P150 million for the DepEd and P500 million for the Office of the Vice President.<br>Confidential and intelligence funds are lump sum allocations in the national budget provided for the government's agencies that are used for intelligence and counterintelligence activities

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said the Department of Education’s (DepEd) request for confidential funds has been realigned to its voucher program.

“I think yung [confidential funds] sa DepEd, nilagay nila sa voucher, school voucher system, and other DepEd priority programs and projects po. Hindi na lang po siya naka-line item na confidential and intelligence funds,” she said during a recent forum.

[I think the confidential funds in DepEd, they put in the voucher, school voucher system, and other DepEd priority programs and projects. It is no longer indicated as confidential and intelligence funds.]

Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte requested over P650 million in confidential funds for the 2024 budget–P150 million for the DepEd and P500 million for the Office of the Vice President.

However, Duterte later withdrew her request because it was a “divisive issue.”

The DepEd said that its confidential funds are directed against “sexual abuse and all other forms of violence, graft, and corruption; involvement in illegal drugs of learners and personnel; recruitment to insurgency” among others.

According to DBM, confidential and intelligence funds are lump sum allocations in the national budget provided for the government’s agencies that are used for intelligence and counterintelligence activities.

Intelligence funds refer to the related to intelligence information-gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel, and intelligence practitioners that have a direct impact on national security.

Earlier, Pangandaman said that confidence and intelligence funds had a share of 0.215 percent in the total budget; 0.192 percent in 2019; 0.235 percent in 2020; 0.212 percent in 2021; 0.183 percent in 2022; 0.190 percent in 2023; and, 0.176 percent in 2024.

“So it’s (2024) the lowest po doon sa time series natin. Ibig sabihin po, iyong share niya doon sa kabuuang budget natin while, if you look at it, it’s P10 billion, it’s actually decreasing naman po,” she said.

Voucher extended for SHS students

On the other hand, the DepEd recently extended its voucher program for Grade 11 students enrolled in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) until they finish senior high school (SHS).

This was after a memorandum was issued by the Commission on Higher Education to discontinue the SHS program in SUCs and LUCs.

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