Malacañang said existing rules governing confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) should not be a problem if officials comply with them honestly, as the Commission on Audit (COA) considers amendments to the guidelines on their use.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said this after the COA raised plans during a House budget hearing to amend existing rules on the use of confidential and intelligence funds following issues that surfaced during the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Aug. 27, the Palace Press Officer said the rules are already clear, and problems arise when people deliberately find ways to circumvent them.

“Kung kayo naman po ay susunod sa polisiya at sa rules, at wala naman kayong balak na manloko para sa pondo at ito naman lahat ay gagamitin ninyo para sa ikaaangat at para sa interes ng bayan at taumbayan, hindi naman problema iyong rules (If you follow the policies and rules and you have no intention of deceiving anyone regarding the funds, and you will use all of them for the betterment and interest of the nation and the people, the rules are not a problem),” she said.

According to Castro, officials who intend to misuse the funds could find ways around the rules regardless of how the guidelines are written.

“Nasa tao iyan (It depends on the person),” she said.

“Pero dahil sa mga taong may balak na gamitin ang kanilang katalinuhan, ang kanilang knowledge or skills para mapaikot ang rules, doon nagkakaroon ng problema (But because there are people who intend to use their intelligence, knowledge, or skills to circumvent the rules, that is where the problem arises),” she added.

Castro said the Executive would respect whatever decision Congress makes on the budget, including allocations for CIF received by the Office of the President.

She said the Executive would present the budget it is seeking and provide the necessary justification, but the final decision rests with lawmakers.

“Ang power of the purse ay nasa kamay po ng Kongreso (The power of the purse is in the hands of Congress),” she said.

“Kung ano po ang magiging desisyon ng Kongreso para sa budget ay ito po naman ay kanilang mandato (Whatever decision Congress makes regarding the budget is within its mandate),” she added.

Castro also sought to allay concerns that changes to CIF rules could compromise the confidentiality of informants, saying existing guidelines already contain safeguards for their identities.

She cited Joint Memorandum Circular 2015-01, which provides that supporting documents containing sensitive information may be placed in a sealed envelope and stored in an agency vault.

“Hindi naman po agad nire-reveal kung sino iyong mga informant or informer (The identities of informants or informers are not immediately revealed),” she said.

“Kaya nga po mayroong probisyon doon na iyong mga supporting documents ay ilalagay sa sealed envelope at ilalagay sa vault ng ahensiya (That is why there is a provision that the supporting documents be placed in a sealed envelope and stored in the agency vault),” she added.

The Palace official said the documents could be released if questions arise from the Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (ICFAO) or COA, which she said has a mandate to protect the identities of people involved in its audits.

Castro said the government currently sees no major problem with the confidentiality safeguards, stressing that the focus should be on preventing the misuse of the rules.

“Wala po tayo, sa ngayon, nakikita talaga na problema (At present, we do not really see a problem),” she said.

“Ang nakikita po nating problema ay iyong mga taong pinapaikutan nga po ang rules, so, kinakailangan na isa-isahin o dapat hindi dapat alias, dapat nakalagay iyong alias (The problem we see is people circumventing the rules, so the provisions need to be examined one by one, including whether an alias should or should not be used and whether the alias should be indicated),” she added.

Castro said officials who act honestly should have little difficulty complying with even simple requirements.

“Kung totoo kang honest na lider, hindi mahirap sundin ang bawat rules kahit na ito ay simple lang (If you are truly an honest leader, it is not difficult to follow every rule, even if it is simple),” she said.

Castro said the government would wait for COA to identify the specific provisions it intends to amend before commenting further on how the changes could affect ongoing intelligence and confidential operations.