The Marcos administration seeks ₱9.2 billion in confidential and intelligence funds in the proposed 2024 budget.
Pinky Webb speaks with Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas on The Source.
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Pinky Webb speaks with Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas on The Source.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 You're watching The Source on CNN Philippines. I'm Pinky Webb. Our source today, Gabriela
00:05 Portilis, Representative Arlene Abrazas, Congresswoman. Welcome back to The Source. Maraming salamat
00:10 din po sa inyong oras. Let me already begin. Budget, the DBM submitted the budget yesterday,
00:16 the NAP, National Expenditure Program for 2024, at 5.68 trillion pesos. That's about
00:23 a 9% increase from last year. Number one, do you think that 9% increase is justifiable?
00:29 Actually, sa totoo lang po ano eh, yung increase na yun, marami tayong kailangan, ano, for
00:40 social services particular. Kaya dapat talaga yun yung paglaana ng budget, ano. But apparently,
00:46 dyan nga sa pinapakita ninyong, ano, comparison, lumalabas, ano, ang mga increases, hindi pa
00:53 dun sa mga kailangan-kailangan. In fact, halos pumaba nga yung iba, eh. Ilan lang ang nag-increase
01:01 dyan. But anyway, yun. Sa amin, sa tingin namin, it's not justifiable dyan sa ano na
01:10 yan. Mas malaki, kaya yan lumaki dahil sa utang. And also, pinag-uusapan, at least,
01:19 lumalabas ngayon sa mga news reports, Kong Arlene, itong Intel and confidential funds.
01:26 This is at Php9.2 billion which half of it actually, well number one, Secretary Pangandaman
01:34 was saying this is no different from this year's budget na 2023 at Php9.2 billion. And
01:40 about half of that is actually going to go to the Office of the President at Php4.56
01:46 billion more or less. How would you describe confidential and intelligence fund for the
01:53 President at Php4.5 billion?" "Napakalaki po niya. In fact, in place na
02:03 islash natin yung intelligence funds, dapat from 2023 kung maaalala ko, it's Php10.022
02:12 billion. Pero ngayon nag-increase pa siya into, well, nag-increase pa ng Php120 million
02:20 more. Php10.022 billion ngayon halos. Kasi kung ilalagay din natin iba pang mga agencies,
02:26 hindi lang yung sa intelligence funds na hinihingi ng Vice President at saka ng President. In
02:33 fact, yung Php4.56 billion napakalaki nun. If you remember, ang nagpasimulaan yan ay
02:41 yung Duterte administration. Biglang tumaas yung intelligence funds ng Presidente at that
02:48 time. Tapos, nag-carryover yun hanggang ngayon. Kaya napakalaki, siya ang pinakamalaki, Php4.56
02:55 billion. Samantalang may proposal pa rin ang Vice President ng Php500 million and Php150
03:02 million na CIF, confidential and intelligence funds. Habang may flag, na-flag na nga yan
03:08 ng COA na kailangang ipaliwanag yung intelligence funds. Pero ngayon apparently with this trend,
03:15 parang pataas lang ng pataas."
03:18 "What can be done in this regard? Because I know that this is hard to examine or put
03:28 under scrutiny because these funds are maybe of national concern or national security.
03:37 Ibig sabihin wala ba talagang paraan, ganoon na lang ba yun? Hindi ba ma-audit, hindi ba
03:45 matitignan?"
03:46 "Alam mo, Pinky, gusto sana natin mas-scrutinize yung CIF, yung intelligence funds. Even ang
03:56 Pangulo. Kasi hindi talaga natin malalaman. Although may guidelines ang COA, specifically
04:03 diyan, pero hindi enough yun para talagang maging transparent sa taong bayan kung saan
04:09 talaga ginastos yung CIF. Pero sabi nga natin, ang panawagan natin dyan primarily, we have
04:19 to re-channel it. Dapat yung taong bayan, ang call niya ay, i-re-channel natin kasi kailangan
04:28 niya ng taong bayan yung social services, dagdag sa agriculture, sector sa kailangan
04:35 ng sahod, etc.
04:36 "And how much do you think, Congresswoman, how much do you think?"
04:40 "Habang may disaster na ganito, di ba? Ang daming disaster sa bayan natin, baka kailangan
04:44 natin i-re-channel yung 4 billion na yan. Kailangan niya ng ating mga maumayan, especially
04:49 ngayon nagbabawagyo, flooding, etc."
04:53 "Just very quickly, how much do you think confidential intelligence funds should be allotted
04:59 to the office of the President? If not 4.+ billion, magkano dapat?"
05:04 "Before it was just P500M. Kahit sa panahon ni Pinoy kung maaalala ko yan, it was just
05:11 parang ganyanin more or less. Nandyan lang sa ganyang intelligence funds. But we think,
05:18 Pinky, the mga bayan block is in the position of totally, pwede naman wala, pwede naman
05:25 i-channel na lang natin sa mga basic services natin na kailangan. Mas importante naman
05:32 yun, mag-zero budget tayo dyan. Kasi ang kailangan natin, pangtulong talaga sa ating mga mamamayan
05:39 na nasa crisis na yon."
05:40 Thank you. Gabriela Partilis, Representative Arlene Braza. Take care, ma'am. And thank
05:45 you for joining us here on The Source. I'm Pinky Webb. You're watching CNN Philippines.
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