Lower House removes P1.23B confidential funds of 5 gov't agencies under proposed 2024 budget
Lower House removes P1.23B confidential funds of 5 gov't agencies under proposed 2024 budget
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00:00 The president is so popular and powerful.
00:02 She has sway and influence over so many people in government offices.
00:06 But today the office of the vice president, the DEPED, the Department of Agriculture,
00:10 the DICT and the DFA found out that when it comes to the nation's purse, the House of
00:16 Representatives is king.
00:18 Our Mela Las Moras on how Solon's on the appropriations committee seeing it fit to realign one and
00:24 a quarter billion pesos in confidential funds for food security and national defense and
00:29 the agencies that provide them.
00:34 The office of the vice president and the departments of education, information and communications,
00:41 agriculture and foreign affairs are getting zero confidential funds under the 2024 general
00:49 appropriations bill.
00:51 The House of Representatives has officially removed 1.23 billion pesos worth of confidential
00:56 funds of five agencies under the proposed 2024 national budget.
01:01 Instead, the bulk of the amount of such funds have been realigned to agencies in charge
01:06 of ensuring national security, especially in the West Philippine Sea.
01:11 This include the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, National Security Council, Philippine
01:17 Coast Guard and Department of Transportation, specifically for airport development in Pagasa
01:22 Island.
01:23 We're seeing a potential of not only making it more friendly, no, and maybe we can also
01:32 attract Chinese tourists to go there.
01:35 So instead of the Pagasa Island, we will make the island more productive.
01:40 We believe that the House of Representatives is on the right side of history.
01:45 We are responding to the call of the times and the volatile situation in the West Philippine
01:50 Sea calls for the immediate and decisive action to protect our national sovereignty.
01:56 Meanwhile, for the remaining amount, instead of confidential funds, several agencies got
02:01 the following additional allocations for maintenance and other operating expenses.
02:06 On top of this, the lower house also had other budgetary changes.
02:10 To enhance food production and combat inflation, the lawmakers allocated more funds for various
02:15 agricultural programs and to invest in people and the country's future, the authorities
02:20 also put bigger allocations for the following initiatives.
02:25 On the part of the majority, of course, we also got the proposed amendments, but we have
02:30 to discuss it as a small committee, we have to prioritize.
02:33 Even though we have a small amount of money, at least we are able to meet the needs of
02:40 our country.
02:41 That's why the minority agreed to our amendments to the budget.
02:50 Following its elaboration about the 2024 budget proposal, the House leaders also denied allegations
02:56 having 1.6 billion pesos confidential funds.
02:59 The Congress has no confidential funds.
03:03 What they say is 1.6 billion pesos is extraordinary expenses.
03:08 The extraordinary is fully auditable, which is different from confidential.
03:13 The Congress has no confidential.
03:15 The extraordinary is like the expenses during calamities.
03:22 So that's an example of extraordinary expense.
03:26 In short, that's fake news.
03:29 Thank you.
03:31 Malala Smoras for the nation.