Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo. Photo from House of Representatives Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines — Confidential funds will not be given to civilian agencies of the government such as the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), a House of Representatives panel has decided.
Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo announced in a press briefing Tuesday that aside from the OVP and DepEd, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and Department of Agriculture (DA) were also given zero secret funds.
According to Quimbo, all the confidential funds proposed by these government offices will be given to agencies at the forefront of protecting the West Philippine Sea and maintaining peace and order in the country.
The decision to strip OVP, DepEd, DICT, DFA, and DA of secret funds was made by a small committee of the House which was tasked to resolve individual amendments to the proposed 2024 national budget.
Vice President Sara Duterte helms the OVP as well as DepEd in a concurrent capacity while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the chief of the DA also in a concurrent capacity.
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