As the Senate continues with the budget deliberations for the 2023 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), Senate President Migz Zubiri filed a proposed resolution forming a Select Oversight Committee to investigate government agencies’ utilization of their allocated confidential and intelligence funds.
“It has long been the practice of the Senate to constitute a Select Oversight Committee for confidential and intelligence funds,” Zubiri said. “Since the 10th Congress, the Senate has always formed the Select Oversight Committee, and we are going to continue that for the 19th Congress.”
The 2023 GAB marks P9,287,675,000 for confidential and intelligence funds — with P4,330,048,000 as confidential and P4,957,627,000 as intelligence.
“It is our job, as an independent and democratic Senate, to keep watch over the use of the national budget.”
“It is our job, as an independent and democratic Senate, to keep watch over the use of the national budget. That is especially true for these sensitive funds, which are not subject to the usual auditing rules and procedures of the Commission on Audit. Being that we cannot identify the particulars of their usage ahead of time, the Committee is our way of subjecting these funds to checks and balances,” the veteran legislator said.
“We need to be vigilant about how these funds are used, which will be the function of our Special Oversight Committee.”
“These funds are important in allowing our agencies to conduct necessary programs, operations, and activities for the safety and security of our people. But we need to be vigilant about how these funds are used, which will be the function of our Special Oversight Committee,” the seasoned lawmaker added.
The proposed Committee will be composed of three members of the majority, one minority, and will be headed by the Senate President.
