TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW SRH IN ANC'S DATELINE PHILIPPINES WITH KARMINA CONSTANTINO
November 16, 2022
ANC interview

Q: I want to begin with what a former colleague of yours said, Senator Panfilo Lacson said this: We have organized and activated a Senate Select Committee on intelligence and confidential funds. Its primary function is to exercise congressional oversight on how such funds are utilized. The committee can demand, if it so desires, the submission of pertinent documents to justify disbursements of CIF's such as approved intelligence project proposals and the like. The minority bloc is an indispensable part of the select committee. The present senate can constitute such select committee by electing its members and thereafter exercise its functions.

Operative word there is 'if it so desires' Senator, with the current composition of the Senate leadership, how possible is this that the senate select oversight can be activated and such funds can really be scrutinized.

SRH: Well, for one, the Senate minority so desires to have not just that oversight over the use of confidential and even intelligence funds pero ngayon pa lang eto kami ni Senate minority leader Koko Pimentel ay nagsusulong na particularly halimbawa sa DepEd, marealign ang confidential funds na iyon elsewhere in the DepEd budget para sa mga line items na talagang kailangan natin at ng department, lalo ng sa gitna ng ating education crisis. I really appreciate the reminder of former Senator Ping, and by coincidence, just today, pinaalala din ni former Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon, that select committee can and I would even say should kung ano ang pinaggastusan ng mga confidential and intelligence funds kapag ito man ay maaprubahan ng Kongreso, and that happy circumstance, the advocacy namin ni Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel at yung paalala ng dating mga Senador at pati yung dating mga Senador pati ang ating minority leader, like what former Senator Ping said, na esensyal ang papel ng minority. And this is just one of the ways that we believe and intend to continue serving.

Q: But scrutinize, be divergent, from what they have been saying all along, as they scrutinize or as they go through the motions of approving this budget.

SRH: In fairness to the Senate, we've been devoting days and nights, yes, to scrutinize the budget although tama ka naman medyo kailangan pang ilaban namin ni Sen. Koko itong usapan ng realign o in other agencies, Sen. Koko uses the word 'strike out' questionable confidential funds. Pero I mean we have to remember in the past several years ilang beses din tumindig ang Senado for the independence of the institution. In previous years sa usapin ng foreign policy for example, vis a vis China lalo sa WPS, at ngayon since we are in the middle of this budget debate arguably isa sa pinakaimportanteng batas na ipinapasa namin taon taon, I think the contest is still on uphill battle, but the contest is still on, para limitahan talaga itong pag appropriate ng confidential funds lalo sa mga ahensya tulad ng DepEd na hindi naman yun ang mandate nila. I would rather add to the funds of agencies that really have a mandate not only a use, but a mandate for confidential and intelligence funds, but still subjecting them to the widest possible oversight by Congress dahil sa aming power of the purse, ang auditing ay napakaimportante, kaya dapat talaga piling pili yung binibigyan ng confidence at intelligence funds, pero meron pa ring auditing processes na bibigyan man lang kahit sa sealed envelope with the auditing placed inside with access at least of the COA chair salamat doon sa paalala ni dating Sen. Ping at Frank na there is also additionally that Senate select committee. So kung paano bubuuin yan the members will be elected by the Senate yes under the current leadership at handang handa kami sa minority na magparticipate diyan.

Q: Glad that you mentioned that Senator, because this whole talk of confidential intelligence funds makes it appear that the Filipino public is entirely powerless when it comes to these funds the disbursement and the allocation is the Filipino public entirely powerless regarding this?

SRH: The public is not powerless, should not feel powerless, and should not be made to feel powerless. Kaya importanteng maalam ang ating mga kababayan dito sa budget making process at sa oversight dito pati sa pamamagitan ng auditing ng COA at ayun na nga at oversight ng isang senate select committee. Itong public funds ay galing sa buwis ng bawat isa sa atin, the funds that government holds comes from that revenue na inaawas or inaambag ng bawat mamamayan sa ating sweldo o sahod at kita sa ating mga entrepreneurial activities. So may karapatan malaman ng mamamayan kung saan ginagamit ang pera ng mamamayan. Kami sa legislature we are exercising our power of the purpose to appropriate as properly as we can see ang kagasutsan galing sa buwis ng mamamayan at tulad ng sa anumang household, tulad sa anumang household, ay may accounting saan ba ginastos ba ang budget ng national household. Kaya ganun ka importante ang papel ng COA, and COA reports are public documents diyan ang mamamayan para iulat sa mamamayan paano ginastos ng tama o mali, sapat o kulang ng bawat departamento at ahensya ang perang inappropriate ng Kongreso alang alang sa taxpayers, alang alang sa mamamayan. And especially in important and sensitive situations such as yung paggastos ng confidential and intelligence funds, mayroon tayong special body na senate select oversight committee na iyon din anumang ang findings niyan, kung anuman ang rekomendasyon niyan, matter of public knowledge din. So pwede din malaman ng mamamayan for the formation of their opinion and possible basis of call to action nila sa gobyerno.

Q: Pero ito ay after the fact, ang sinasabi ninyo ni Senator Koko Pimentel na wag ng humantong doon kung nakikita naman ngayon na walang sapat na rason na magkaroon ng ganung klaseng pondo.

SRH: So pwede natin ituring na importanteng bookends para bantayan ang paggamit ng pera ng mamamayan ang effort namin ni Sen. Koko na wag ng bigyan ang mga ahensya na hindi naman nila mandate na maggastos ng confidential funds sa usaping intelligence o law enforcement. Hindi naman nila primary mandate yan, tulad muli ng DepEd, makipagcoordinate na lang sila or yung mga eskwelahan o LGUs sa national defense at national police agencies at iba pa na may mandato diyan. That's the first bookend dito pa lang bago pa maaprubahan at gagastusin ang budget ng ating gobyerno yung pangalawang importanteng bookend ay ang pinaalala ni Sen. Ping at Sen. Frank na mayroong na meron bukod sa COA na merong napakaimportanteng papel, sa mga post audits, itong select oversight committee on confidential and intelligence funds. Pwede ituring na partner ng COA sa pagbantay partikular sa ganoong klaseng importanteng at sensitibong pondo.

Q: Finally, talk to us about the importance of raising these questions now regarding these funds before it becomes commonplace. Because make no mistake we're not just talking about the funds for the next fiscal year, we're talking about how this can become a precedent for the next budgets to come.

SRH: Importanteng itanong itong mga tanong during this period of interpellation para pwede maging basehan sana na masuportahan harinawa ito ng aming mga kasama sa Senado yung ippropose namin amendments sa budget and as you said hindi lang natin pinaguusapan ang mas tamang budget para sa taong 2023, we also want to prevent the setting of precedents na hindi mabuti makakasama kung maging floor ngayon ng isang ahensya katulad ng DepEd o ibang mga ahensya na di naman halimbawa intelligence gathering agencies hindi naman sila ang law enforcement agencies kung maging commonplace na as you said na magkaroon sila ng confidential budget, yun ang maari nilang maccite na floor for the next fiscal years na manormalize na lang na sa halip na siguruhin na sapat ang confidential and even intelligence funds ng NICA pati ang mga department like DepEd, may confidential funds? That's another bookend as it were, to set the right precedents at pigilan ang pagset ng maling precedent dahil madadagdagan ang ating mga problema sa halip na isolve ang mga problema natin na marami rami rin tayo mula sa nakaraan at kasalukuyang panahon, moving forward, to solve the current and past problems, wag na natin dagdagan sa usapin ng ating budget.