UMANI ng suporta sa mga kongresista mula sa Mindanao ang naging desisyon ng liderato ng Kamara de Representantes na ilipat ang kabuuang P1.23 bilyong confidential fund sa mga ahensya na nagbibigay ng seguridad sa bansa.

Ayon kina Davao del Sur Lone District Rep. John Tracy Cagas at Misamis Oriental Rep. Christian S. Unabia malinaw na may kapangyarihan ang Kamara de Representantes na baguhin ang panukalang budget para maging naaayon ito sa pangangailangan ng bansa.

Punto ni Rep. Cagas hindi na bago ang ginagawang paglilipat ng pondo ng Kamara at paulit-ulit umano itong nangyayari taun-taon.

“I am sure that we stand on solid constitutional ground in making adjustments in the budget. We are ready to face any challenge in the proper forum,” giit ni Cagas.

Iginiit naman ni Unabia na walang ginawang iligal ang Kamara ng ilipat nito ang confidential funds ng ilang ahensya patungo sa mga national security agency lalo ay mayroong tensyon sa West Philippine Sea.

“I maintain my belief that the House of Representatives has done nothing wrong in realigning confidential funds in the 2024 national budget. It is the constitutional mandate of Congress to exercise the power of the purse. And boosting the budget of national security agencies is a responsible way of spending public funds,” ani Unabia.

“I believe this is a prudent way of allocating public funds, which is to spend it on programs that protect the Filipino people’s livelihood. For me, the decision to realign confidential funds is just based on an assessment of who needs it more,” dagdag pa ni Unabia.

Matapos na i-realign ng Kamara ang mga confidential fund ng Office of the Vice President (OVP), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), at Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) ay inulan ito ng batikos.

Ilan sa napuntahan ng pondo ang National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, National Security Council, Philippine Coast Guard, at Department of Transportation na siyang magsasaayos ng Pag-asa Island airport na nasa WPS.

Isa sa nagsalita laban sa Kamara ay si dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na ipinagtanggol ang pagkakaroon ng confidential funds ng kanyang anak na si Vice President Sara Duterte, na siya ring kalihim ng DepEd.

Sinuportahan naman nina Reps. Ace Barbers (Surigao del Norte), Cheeno Miguel Almario (Davao Oriental), Maricar Zamora (Davao de Oro) at Francisco Jose “Bingo” Matugas (Surigao del Norte) ang Kamara laban sa paratang ni Duterte na may “pork barrel” pa ang mga mambabatas.

Sinabi nila na maganda ang ginagawang pamamalakad ni Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez sa Kamara at wala na umanong pork barrel fund ang Kamara.

“As one of the senior members of the House, I stand by the institution’s integrity and strict adherence to the law,” ani Cong. Barbers.

Ipinunto naman ni Almario na mismong Commission on Audit (COA) na ang nagsabi na wala itong nakitang iregularidad sa ginawang paggamit ng pondo ng Kamara.

“Our records, which are open to public scrutiny, are a testament to our dedication to fiscal responsibility and transparency,” dagdag pa ni Almario.

Sa isang Facebook post sinabi naman ni Zamora na buo ang suporta nito sa liderato ng Kamara.

“Our legislative body has consistently demonstrated a commitment to transparency and accountability. I am proud to share that the House accounts have remained transparent, and we have received no disallowance from COA,” sabi naman ni Matugas.