Senator Sonny Angara says the President should have his own share of confidential and intelligence funds as 'he is not just a user, but a gatherer of information' as well. BudgetWatch
MANILA, Philippines – The Senate on Thursday, November 10, approved the P8.9-billion proposed budget of the Office of the President for 2023, which includes P4.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds. This will be President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first full annual budget.
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, sponsor of the 2023 General Appropriations Bill , defended the need for the President to have his own share in intelligence funds as “he is not just a user, but a gatherer of information” as well. “The sad truth, your honor, is that many of our security agencies operate in silos. And they do not share intelligence. That’s the fact. I’ve seen it in my 18 years [as a legislator]. That’s a fact that we should change going forward, and I agree with you that there should be a sharing of information. But unfortunately…the reality on the ground is some of our security agencies don’t trust each other,” said Angara, citing the example of the Mamasapano encounter in 2015.
“For the confidential funds, the agencies are required to submit reports to the President, the two chambers of Congress, and the department secretaries. So there is that measure of accountability, it’s not totally opaque as some people would imagine, your honor – there’s an element of transparency and accountability there,” said Angara in a mix of English and Filipino.
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