A lawmaker from the House prosecution panel has called on Congress to review which government entities are eligible for confidential funds, emphasizing that these allocations must strictly serve intelligence gathering, national security, and public order functions.
Akbayan Party-list Representative Chel Diokno stated that the ongoing scrutiny surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte’s spending has exposed a critical policy gap that legislature must resolve.
He stressed that confidential funds belong with law enforcement and defense-oriented bodies, rather than civilian offices without direct intelligence mandates.
“Ang confidential funds ay para lang doon sa nag-gagather ng intelligence… Kaya yun yung isang bagay na dapat masagot ng ating pamahalaan and I think that should be a question that I think a policy matter that should be addressed by the Congress,” Diokno in an television interview said.
Under official state guidelines, confidential expenses are defined as surveillance-related costs used by civilian agencies to support specific operational goals, provided the activities directly concern national security or law enforcement.
Scrutiny Over VP Sara Duterte’s Allocations
The policy debate stems from the ₱612.5 million in confidential funds granted to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) while Duterte served as education chief.
Article I of the impeachment complaint against Duterte alleges the misuse or irregular disbursement of ₱500 million from the OVP and ₱112.5 million from DepEd—claims the Vice President has repeatedly denied.
During the Senate impeachment proceedings, former Commission on Audit (COA) state auditor Roderick Wamil testified that no other Vice President since 2010 had requested or received confidential appropriations, confirming that neither Jejomar Binay nor Leni Robredo held such funds during their terms.
“Kung titingnan natin, yung dating humawak ng opinisa [ng Bise Presidente], wala namang confidential funds at wala kaming nakikitang dahilan kung bakit magkakaroon siya,” Diokno pointed out.
Diokno emphasized that the House Committee on Justice uncovered numerous irregularities regarding how these allocations were spent and processed.
“Ang tanong ay ito ba ay maayos na nagamit? Ito ba ay alinsunod sa government issuances particularly sa joint circular ng COA with other agencies 2015-01? Ang nakita ng House sa aming imbestigasyon sa committee on justice, madaming questionable issues here,” Diokno added.