Vice President Sara Duterte is pissed. The budget of her office and the budget of the education department is being scrutinized to the highest degree by legislators from both chambers. The issue is not on how she intends to spend the budget for both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and DepEd but on the confidential funds both offices proposed. Imagine the OVP alloting P500 million for confidential funds and it’s even harder to imagine DepEd having a confidential fund of P150 million.
In truth, it’s actually a first in recent memory that a sitting vice president is asking for a confidential fund as if it has the mandate to do something when according to law the categorical function of the OVP is to succeed the position in case the presidency becomes vacant. Another first is forthcoming for DepEd as it is now asking confidential funds.
Confidential funds are lump sums used by civilian government agencies in gathering information and surveillance. Based on a 2015 joint resolution, it can be used to purchase information necessary for the formulation and implementation of programs, activities and projects relevant to national security and peace and order; rental of transport vehicles related to confidential activities; purchase or rental of supplies, materials and equipment for confidential operations that cannot be done through regular procedures without compromising the information gathering activity concerned; payment if rewards to informers; and uncovering and preventing illegal activities that pose a clear and present danger to agency personnel or property in coordination with appropriate law enforcement agencies.
Under what requirement can the OVP and DepEd qualify? OVP cannot function as the Office of the President. More so, DepEd cannot qualify under national security and even threats to peace and order.
While it is not totally baseless, the proposal of Vice President Duterte is actually making idiots out of every Filipino. No matter how she justifies herself and her department, her proposed confidential fund is simply outrageous.
While it is true that such funds are not exempted from audits, conducting an audit in it borders on compliance. The same joint circular requires physical and financial plans to support the requests for confidential funds. Such requirement is again an act of good faith and nothing less. With several government workers holding doctorate degrees in corruption, preparing such documents are as easy as boiling eggs.
The vice president in the meantime is showing her Duterte signature in trying to silence the critics of her confidential funds as if she wants Congress to simply close its eyes in her proposed budget because she is a Duterte. Forward-looking as it is necessary, these confidential funds are legislated corruption. In no time at all, these will be used by the lady Duterte to prepare herself for the presidency. She can simply waive it off if she doesn’t intend to. After all, under the law, OVP and DepEd are not in anyway mandated to do surveillance and intelligence gathering.
