Senate to set stricter rules on flood works, secret funds

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will tighten its scrutiny of confidential funds and flood control spending as it reviews the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said on Sunday, amid calls for greater transparency in Congress’ handling of public money.

Gatchalian said confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) should be limited to agencies with clear enforcement, intelligence or security functions. Civilian agencies with no operational need for such funds should not receive them, he said.

“One of the things we will also look into is the confidential funds. We will not allow agencies that have no business having confidential funds to be given these funds,” Gatchalian said in a radio interview.

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“As a rule, if you are not an enforcement agency, if you are not the armed forces or uniformed personnel agency, then you shouldn’t have access to confidential and intelligence funds,” he added.

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READ: House assures respect for OVP in budget talks amid Duterte impeachment

He said this would cover the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the Department of Education (DepEd) and other civilian agencies.

“It will not happen again. Not just the OVP and DepEd, but other civilian agencies as well,” Gatchalian said, adding that any request would have to be properly justified and closely examined.

CIF vital to OP

The issue has become particularly contentious as the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, examines Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds allotted to the OVP and DepEd when she was its concurrent head.

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Gatchalian said the CIF would remain available to enforcement and intelligence agencies such as the Philippine Coast Guard, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and National Bureau of Investigation.

READ: Witness: Duterte had no basis to use secret funds as VP or DepEd chief

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He also defended the CIF for the Office of the President (OP), noting that the President is both Chief Executive and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

Safeguards on flood works

Gatchalian cited the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, which helped dismantle Philippine offshore gaming operator operations, as an example of an executive unit that needs intelligence resources. He also pointed to presidential anticorruption units that gather information on suspected wrongdoing.

The Senate will likewise take a hard look at the proposed P107-billion flood control budget, Gatchalian said, following allegations involving ghost and substandard projects.

One safeguard will be requiring complete project information, including station numbers and exact grid coordinates, to make projects easier to verify and prevent duplication.

Without coordinates, he said, district engineers are given too much discretion over where projects will be built, creating opportunities for duplicate or nonexistent projects.

Gatchalian said the Department of Public Works and Highways had submitted a “better” budget proposal for 2027, although senators still found gaps that must be clarified during deliberations.

Flood control projects are necessary, he said, but each should have feasibility studies and enough technical details before funds are released.

‘Performative transparency’

Meanwhile, ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, a House deputy minority leader, said transparency in the budget process should mean more than livestreaming the bicameral conference committee.

He said the public should be able to see not only the proceedings but also meaningful changes to the spending plan. Tinio criticized last year’s televised bicameral talks as “performative transparency,” saying pork allocations and large standby appropriations survived despite the public access.

“Livestreaming the bicam is like broadcasting a wrestling match that everyone knows is rigged,” Tinio said. 

Last year, Congress approved P243.4 billion in unprogrammed appropriations, Tinio noted. These standby funds may be released when additional revenues are collected or new borrowing is secured.

For 2027, the Department of Budget and Management has proposed P111.98 billion in unprogrammed funds.

Tinio said genuine transparency requires removing mechanisms that allow pork-barrel insertions, not simply putting cameras inside the bicameral talks.

The House, meanwhile, will extend courtesy to the OVP during its budget deliberations despite its role in prosecuting Duterte in her impeachment trial, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said.

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The OVP is seeking P785.20 million for 2027. Its hearing is set for Sept. 2, with chief of staff Zuleika Lopez expected to represent the office. /cb