Oversight panel on intel, confidential funds pushed

A Senate committee that will look into the utilization of government agencies’ allocated confidential and intelligence funds may soon be created.

In his Senate Resolution 302, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Wednesday filed a resolution seeking the creation of the Select Oversight Committee.

CIFs, Zubiri said, are usually not subject to regular auditing rules of the Commission on Audit, hence, a Senate panel must be created.

“It is incumbent upon the Senate to reactivate the Select Oversight Committee in the 18th Congress to continue exercising its oversight functions over the use, disbursement, and expenditures of confidential and intelligence funds granted to certain government agencies, and to provide vigilant legislative oversight over the conduct of aforesaid intelligence activities, sources, methods and programs,” Zubiri said in his resolution.

In a separate statement, he noted that the reconstitution of a Select Oversight Committee for confidential and intelligence funds has “been the practice of the Senate.”

“Being that we cannot identify the particulars of their usage ahead of time, the Committee is our way of subjecting these funds to checks and balances,” he said.

He added: “These funds are important in allowing our agencies to conduct necessary programs, operations, and activities for the safety and security of our people. But we need to be vigilant about how these funds are used, which will be the function of our Special Oversight Committee.”

The resolution was filed a day after former Senators Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Vicente “Tito” Sotto, and Franklin Drilon urged the incumbent senators to tap the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Confidential Funds to investigate government agencies’ utilization of their CIFs.

The proposed committee, he said, will be under his watch with three members of the majority, and one minority.

Under the 2023 General Appropriations Bill, a total of P9.28-billion was allocated for the confidential and intelligence funds of various government agencies and offices.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel earlier flagged the allocation of “enormous confidential and intelligence funds in non-security-related government agencies, particularly the Office of the Vice President, Department of Education, and Office of the Solicitor General, which will receive P500 million, P150 million, and P19.2 million, respectively.