Sen. Sonny Angara, chairperson of the Committee on Finance, answers questions as the Senate begins plenary debates on the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024 Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Senate PRIB / Voltaire F. Domingo
MANILA, Philippines鈥擨t was just an 鈥渆rror鈥� in the use of word when the controversial P125 million confidential fund of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) was earlier referred to as fund 鈥渢ransfer.鈥�
Senator聽 Sonny Angara gave this explanation as opposition senators asked about the confidential fund given to the OVP late last year.
Senators on Wednesday began discussing on the Senate floor the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget next year.
鈥淛ust for our information or education, was聽 it a transfer聽 from the Contingent Fund to the OVP or a release?鈥� asked Senate Minority Leader Aquilino 鈥淜oko鈥澛� Pimentel聽 Jr.
鈥淣aguguluhan kasi ako sa explanation ng DBM (Department of聽 Budget and Management) e,鈥� Pimentel said.
Angara, sponsor of the budget bill, answered: 鈥淚t was a release.鈥�
Pimentel, however, argued that聽 it was a transfer聽 based on the 鈥渙fficial聽 document聽 reporting the movement of the funds.鈥�
鈥淒oes the word transfer have聽 different meanings when we use it in 聽 relation to the budget?鈥� he then asked again.
It was at this point that Angara admitted the 鈥渆rror鈥� apparently after conferring with economic managers, which included DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e saying it鈥檚 an error in their use of the word transfer. It should be release,鈥� Angara聽 said.
Pangandaman herself wrote the House of Representatives鈥� committee on appropriations in September to clarify that the P125 million confidential fund of OVP last year was a release and not a fund transfer.
In the letter,聽 the budget chief also聽 clarified that the confidential fund was sourced from the聽 P7 billion Contingent Fund for 2022, and not from the聽 Office of the President.
It was聽 Vice President Sara聽 Duterte herself who聽 admitted in a Senate hearing聽 in September that her office made a request for the confidential fund from the OP.
鈥淲e requested confidential funds to the Office of the President as early as August 2022 and we鈥檙e only granted the confidential funds in December 2022,鈥� she said.
This confidential allocation for OVP is now the subject of a petition lodged聽 at the Supreme Court, questioning the legality of聽 the said fund release.